


A Sensible Heart

by fyeahitsaly



Category: Warrior (2011)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-04
Updated: 2013-05-15
Packaged: 2017-12-04 07:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/707894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyeahitsaly/pseuds/fyeahitsaly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At times so self destructive,<br/>With no intent or motive.<br/>But behind this emotion,<br/>There lies a sensible heart.<br/>- City and Colour</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Year Later

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Warrior was easily one of the best films in the last five years, in my opinion. I felt that the ending, while perfect for the film, just wasn’t perfect for me. I wanted to see Brendan and Tommy get back to being brothers and I think Tommy deserved a good life with someone; hence my injection of an original character. The film’s characters are also my interpretation of their behavior and feelings under semi-normal circumstances. The story picks up two years after the events at Sparta. Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: The author acknowledges the rightful owners of the feature film “Warrior”. The following story, with strictly creative use of the film’s characters and events, is intended for non-profitable entertainment purposes only. The author owns one original character and the following storyline.

“Good is the enemy of great.”

The words stared him in the face for a few seconds over and over and over again. He faced them each time he completed a sit-up. This was number 83. He had a small-scale fight this weekend and he wasn’t getting any stronger laying in bed.

Just as he sat up again, scanning his grey eyes over the words once more, the fluorescent lights of Frank’s gym in Philly illuminated the expansive floor plan. He dropped his hands from behind his head and turned swiftly to see who the intruder was.

“Tommy, what are you doing here so early?” Frank asked, slinging his duffle bag next to his office door and shoving his water bottle into the side pocket.

“Huntin’ elephants,” Tommy replied straight-faced, his dry sense of humor shining through. It was 6:30 a.m., but the Marines usually had him up by 5. Frank was late.

Frank strode over to where he was rested and slapped his good shoulder. Though it had been more than two full years since Sparta, Tommy’s dislocated shoulder and torn deltoid still needed a bit of babying. They’d healed nicely. He regained full range of motion and the OK to fight full throttle, but he still noticed tightness here and there with a lot of soreness if some asshole worked it too hard on purpose.

“You feel ready for Saturday?” Frank asked. There was $7,000 riding on Tommy’s victory.

“Yeah, I’m always ready,” Tommy said, his quick, signature sniff following the trail of words.

Frank chuckled at Tommy’s cockiness. He’d become pretty funny, without fully knowing it, in the last year. He’d also watched Brendan and Tommy become somewhat brothers again, especially in the last six months. After Sparta, Brendan and Tess made the decision to sell their house in Philadelphia and move to Pittsburgh with the Sparta prize money, realizing that they wanted, more than anything, to try and salvage what family they had left. They knew Tommy would return to Pittsburgh eventually and Brendan figured if he was working on things with Tommy, he might as well work on things with Pop, too. Two birds, one stone. They were there when Tommy went through the necessary channels for desertion, too. It was determined, because of his “heroic act,” as they called it, his shoulder injury and his “dormant PTSD,” that he would spend the rest of his contract attending nearby drills monthly after a mandatory 12-month imprisonment, which was “extremely generous,” the judge had said. The extremely unique situation “called for an extremely unique disciplinary action.” The MMA world cried outrage at the imprisonment, but Tommy said nothing. He knew what waited for him and like a true Marine, he accepted the punishment. His enlistment status expired almost three months ago and he was honorably discharged, still at his rank of staff sergeant. He had been out of prison for more than a year now.

Brendan mentioned to Frank that they’d started seeing a therapist not long after Tommy returned home from prison.

Tommy was originally opposed to the idea. He felt no need to unleash his anger on a stranger who would do nothing but offer an opinion that wasn’t wanted. A particularly dangerous fight four months after Tommy moved back to Pittsburgh, however, had Tess, sweet but fierce Tess, forcing them both into it. Brendan and Tommy had unknowingly taken a yelling match out to Brendan’s new backyard where the girls were playing on their new swing set. When things came to blows, Emily rushed toward the door toward Tess but was shoved down in the shuffle. Brendan immediately rushed to her aid and Tommy sat in the grass, bewildered that his inadvertent actions had hurt one of his nieces, the only two little things in this world he could love without apprehension.

When Tess came running out, she’d scooped up her two screaming girls and placed them inside. When she returned, she scolded the brothers for being so careless. Tommy didn’t object when she called a therapist the next day and scheduled them both to go at the same time. You just don’t object to an angry Tess.

After a few initial meetings, Paddy even came along once in a while when he wasn’t at church. That might have been one of the first things Brendan and Tommy agreed on when both expressed their uneasiness about that thought during a session…Paddy Conlon going to church. No matter how much time passed, Brendan and Tommy would always still see the red-faced Paddy that liked to use the buckle-end of his belt after a bender at the bar.

When Tommy couldn't make it to Philly, Frank came to him and trained him in tandem with Paddy, who couldn’t keep up the consistent schedule of fighting full-time. It was the first time Tommy realized Pop was older, frailer, calmer. He was 60, going on 61, for Christ's sake, and Paddy Conlon wasn't known for being the epitome of health. As much as Tommy abhorred the idea before Sparta, he found himself forgiving his Pop and building a better relationship with him through fighting again. It was a slow process.

~~~

Brendan spotted Frank from across the small arena; he was checking Tommy’s tape. He made his way through the crowd of Tapout-clad douche-bags who didn’t have the balls to get in the ring themselves. Tommy nodded to him before Frank caught sight of him. He was in fight-mode and Brendan understood that.

“Hey guys,” Brendan said, slapping Frank’s back.

“Heyyy, there he is,” Frank said, glancing sideways at him before focusing back on Tommy’s tape.

“You ready, bud?” Brendan asked Tommy, who started slightly bouncing from foot to foot.

He nodded and flashed him a tight smile, showing his black mouthguard. Brendan smirked back and bumped a fist to his shoulder. That set off a small shadow-boxing match between them; something that was quickly turning into a habit before one of Tommy’s fights. 

The announcer entered the ring with two bikini-clad girls who shouldn’t have even entertained the idea of bright, lime green eyeshadow. The buzzing arena quieted down slightly before bursting into a dull roar. Brendan tapped fists with Tommy and nodded before finding a seat down in front. Luckily, while he still got a few stares, everyone stopped asking for his autograph at these things. Word was that another Sparta was scheduled for next year; some kind of triennial event J.J. Riley was going for. He and his brother were old news. At least until next year.

Before the crowd could get too restless, Tommy and some tall, lean guy entered the ring. Frank spoke swiftly, just as he had with Brendan. Tommy honed in on his words, sucking in deep breaths of air, his entire frame heaving with anticipation of the first punch. He was going to pummel this assclown.

The bell sounded and Tommy half-circled the mat before making three swift, angry blows to the contender. The bean-pole wobbled to the mat and the bell sounded. With all the recognition the Conlon brothers received after Sparta, Brendan thought that any fighters coming up against Tommy would have a plan of attack. So far, only a handful had lasted to a second or third round.

Tommy had finally started getting into the habit of staying in the ring to allow the judge to declare him winner. In some places, it was a technicality. In others, it was just plain respect. During Sparta, he was so focused on winning for Manny’s family that he stormed off before even realizing where he was. Though Tommy lost, Brendan immediately sent $1 million to Pilar and her kids after Tommy went inside for his sentence. He told Tommy after the fact during a session and to this day, Tess will say that was the second major turning point in their relationship. The first was Sparta. 

“Nice like always,” Brendan said.

“I don’t know why some of these guys make it so easy,” Frank said, which made Tommy snicker.  


They feigned off cheering drunks all the way to the backroom and shut the door before a throng of trashy girls could try and sweet talk their way in. Tommy was usually entertained by the idea, always thinking his uniform was the ultimate panty-dropper. Apparently, MMA was better.

“Where’s Tess?” Tommy asked, wiping down the back of his neck.

“She got sidetracked at the bar, apparently Kate moved back into town and is working here,” Brendan said, switching his gaze mid-sentence from Tommy to Frank.

Frank must know who this Kate is, Tommy thought, eyeing their knowing nods before returning to their tasks. It made Tommy realize in this instance that he was still an outsider and had been M.I.A. for the last 15 years. Two years ago, that realization wouldn’t have bothered him. But now…for some odd reason, it was starting to become a nagging annoyance in the back of his mind.

A knock at the door interrupted their shuffling, followed by a yell of “15 minutes.” They would need to make their way back out in 10, just to be sure. Independently-ran clubs and arenas like this were notorious for lying about a start-time to make an opponent of a regular fighter late to the ring, thus forfeiting and losing.

“Alright, how you feeling? How’s the shoulder?” Frank said, taking quick inventory of Tommy’s health.

“I’m good, it’s good,” Tommy replied, nodding. His slick wet hair dripped onto his long lashes and he wiped them quickly before ritualistically sniffing. 

The rest of the evening seemed to move by in a familiar blur. The third guy, obviously not middleweight by any means, took some coaxing, but he finally found his spot on the mat after Tommy’s quick combination Brendan had helped him perfect. The ref finally declared Tommy overall winner and $7,000 richer. Well, $5,250…Frank, of course, had his fee. He dropped his head while his arm was raised high in the air, shifting his gaze to Frank and Brendan, who had been joined by Tess, as they clapped and cheered. He nodded once in their direction; he was still mulling over the fact that he had people cheering in his corner.

They all piled into the small backroom, generally pleased with the night.

“That big motherfucker, that was ridiculous,” Frank said, imitating his exaggerated size with his arms.

Tommy smiled this time, now that the fights were over. He still wasn’t much of a smiler, but he realized how much he enjoyed having people around him. He spent too many years by himself, not that some of that time bothered him. He had Manny, Pilar and the kids until…

“Yeah, she’s coming over tomorrow to see the girls,” he overhead Tess say to Brendan, who nodded and smiled. This must be that chick she saw, Tommy thought to himself again. 

“Good, you’ve got your girl back,” Brendan said, smiling at his wife.

Tommy and Tess, for not really knowing one another a year ago when he first came back to Pittsburgh, had formed a bond through understanding. They were different in some aspects, but strong through and through. He never realized that she never went out with friends like most women her age. He was content enough to think that it was good she had a friend in the area now. Just then, he realized people were speaking to him again.

“Tommy, cook-out tomorrow, our house, yeah?” Brendan said, obviously repeating his phrase.

“What time?”

Brendan glanced at Tess for approval before saying “noon.” Tommy smirked at the married-couple telepathy that just took place in front of him.

“Ok,” he said, walking toward the door with his duffle bag. He wanted to get home. He would welcome the quiet simplicity of his own apartment.


	2. The Meeting

Tommy arrived early at his brother’s house, an old Marine habit that would probably never die. Paddy was already there, playing joyfully with Emily and Rosie, who squealed with excitement at the sight of Tommy. They’d eventually taken to the old man just as quickly as they’d taken to Tommy.

He smiled wide as Rosie flew toward him. He strategically placed his hands under her arms just as she sprung off her feet, lifting her as high as he could.

“Me next Uncle Tommy, me next!” Emily squealed just as Rosie’s feet touched the ground. This welcome had evolved a lot from the first few months of visits. He had to work hard to get the girls to even look at him after the incident in the backyard. Just like with everything else, it was a slow process, but children tend to forgive and forget much easier than adults with years of memories.

“Ok, you next,” he said with a playfulness that only truly came out around children, and maybe just a bit more around his nieces. He couldn’t help but think about Manny and Pilar’s children in that moment, and he reminded himself they were OK now. He made a point to remember to call next week, just to check in and make sure they were still good.

He swung Emily high in the air, an equal giggle filling the front foyer of the slightly larger house. Brendan and Tess had chosen a modest three bedroom home in an affluent neighborhood of Pittsburgh after Sparta paid off. All new furniture throughout, a paint job to match Tess' taste, hardwood floors, and of course, the entire place was paid for in full. Whatever was left over from the prize money was put into a savings account for the girls while Brendan taught AP physics at a nearby high school and Tess took on part-time work at an early education daycare. They were finally doing OK. 

“Where’s your daddy?” Tommy asked, speaking softly and kneeling down so he was eye-to-eye with them. His usual scowl disappeared when he spoke to these little girls.

Rosie pointed toward the backyard’s expansive deck.

“With mom, Grandpa and Auntie Kate,” Emily said.

Tommy smirked and quickly kissed both their foreheads before standing up and swaggering toward the sliding glass door. He stepped out onto the stained wood and glanced around. Paddy nodded to him and lifted Rosie to his lap. Brendan was manning the grill while Frank was animatedly talking about something that happened at the gym. He must have stayed the night on Brendan and Tess' couch. Tommy turned his head to see Tess chatting comfortably with another woman. Before he could stare too long, Tess waved him over.

“Hey Tommy,” she said, holding her hand toward the other woman. “This is my best friend, Kate. Kate, this is Brendan’s brother, Tommy.”

Tommy nodded and politely offered his hand for a shake. Her skin, smooth and sun-kissed, sent an odd shock down his spine. He smirked at her and nodded. She smiled back, her white teeth beaming. He couldn’t deny, for even a second, that she was beautiful in a unique way.

“Nice to meet you,” he said softly with a gentle, closed-mouth smile. A lone toothpick sat to the left side of these lips that didn’t seem to match such a menacing, hard exterior.

“You, too,” she answered, still smiling. This was not the way she imagined him outside of the Octagon.

He stepped away and joined the men around the grill, trying to catch onto the conversation and hoping no one noticed his glazed-over look he’d just given a perfect stranger.

“So that’s Bren’s brother,” Kate said under her breath, recognizing the storyline that played out on TV over two years ago. She had watched every second of Sparta, but realized she hadn’t paid much attention to Tommy. She had been too worried about Brendan.

“Yeah. Until Sparta, they hadn’t seen each other in years. He moved with Brendan’s mother when she left…remember when Bren came to school that morning really upset?”

Kate knowingly nodded and remembered skipping algebra class with Tess and Brendan, trying to cheer him up.

Tess and Kate had known each other for years even by then. They met when Kate was in second grade, around Emily’s age, and Tess was in fourth grade. Despite the two-year age difference, they were inseparable ever since. Kate never crossed paths with the Conlon boys until Tess began dating Brendan. By the time she'd gotten to know Bren, Tommy was long gone.

When college came around, they all went to college near home, mainly because it was all they could afford. Kate studied nursing and moved to Boston after graduation for a shitty boyfriend and a sub-par hospital’s graveyard shift. After struggling to finally let her ex go, she moved back to Pittsburgh two weeks ago, working in a doctor’s office part-time and part-time at the bar in The Fight Club, where Tess saw her last night. They’d never lost touch during her time away and Tess was the first to know when she got back into town.

“They seem to get along pretty well now,” Kate said, eyeing the back of Tommy’s physique. His loose, faded jeans hung low on his hips and his deep grey T-shirt hugged chiseled muscles that she found difficult to keep her eyes off of.

“Yeah, they went to some therapy for a while with Paddy, got a lot of the venom of their past out,” Tess explained, looking at her husband. Kate noticed she stared at Brendan the same way she did when they were 16; it warmed her heart to see two of her closest friends still so in love. “They just stopped going last month. Things have been slow, and there’s tension more often than not, but I think they’ve forgiven each other. Paddy’s a work in progress. Things are getting better.”

Tess’ gaze lingered for a second more before she turned to Kate and smiled.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Tess said, gripping her fingers. “Jack was such an asshole.”

“Thanks,” Kate said, her laugh pricking Tommy’s ears. “I wish you would have shown me that before I wasted years of my life with him.”

“You never would have listened to me,” Tess said, stating the obvious. Kate nodded, knowing that statement was true. She liked to think of it as being headstrong, but she was fucking stubborn, plain and simple.

“Well, I couldn’t be away for too long. Christmas visits aren’t enough anymore,” Kate replied, gripping Tess’ hand back.

The burgers and brats were plattered just as Kate and Tess brought out potato salad, steamed asparagus and sliced watermelon. The August heat had subsided as they inched closer to September. The group decided on seats around the table, causing Emily’s bossiness to shine.

“Rosie, you sit by Uncle Tommy, I’m sitting by Auntie Kate,” Emily said declaratively, pointing out the oversized chairs.

“Emmy, don’t be bossy,” Tess said gently. Kate loved the way Tess mothered her girls; it reminded her of her own mom.

Though Emily’s proclamation didn’t sit well with Tess, Rosie was fine with the decision and hopped into the chair next to Tommy. His back was hunched and his hands were folded in his lap, but he smirked sideways toward his niece who smiled back goofily. Her blonde curls, while less chaotic now than a year ago, still swirled around her little face.

“Auntie Kate, will you be here tomorrow?” Emily asked as silverware clanked against serving platters. Tommy glanced at her, watching her hands maneuver the hamburger plate.

“I’m here for good, honey,” she replied sweetly, placing a burger on Emily’s bun.

She was still surprised at how much they had grown since her last Christmas visit three years ago. Her visit then had been much longer than anticipated. She took all the vacation time and sick leave she had to help Tess with Rosie after her surgery while Brendan worked. Helping her change dressings properly, looking for warning signs of infection and complications or entertaining Emily while Tess rested and Rosie recovered. 

Emily beamed with delight at her answer and began rambling off plans she had. Tommy found it hard to not stare, something that surprised him.

While the past year had been relatively quiet in the woman department, he had garnered a reputation with his Marine brothers in the past for attracting the less-than-favorable girls. Bottle-blondes who cared nothing more than to bed him and move along. That didn’t really bother him at that point in his life. But after spending the last year working on his relationships with family and rebuilding his life after prison, he just didn’t care enough to associate with that kind of woman anymore. Meeting Kate, literally a physical opposite of the girls of his past, surprised him; he was attracted to her.

Her deep brunette locks fell in waves and layers to the middle of her back. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she had green eyes. She wore only enough make-up to notice; a toned-down pin-up style that reminded him of some of the old pictures he’d often seen in the Marine bars near base. From her quick jaunt in and out of the kitchen for the food, she was barely 5’6” and thin. Her hips curved naturally and her boobs were full and proportionate for her frame. He was a fucking man, after all.

It was her smile, though. It was warm. It made him want to smile; something he wasn’t exactly known for.

The rest of the meal continued with almost no tension. Brendan figured the presence of Kate seemed to calm everyone, or at least keep them in check. She spoke freely with Paddy, who asked about being a nurse and her general background. Tommy listened intently, catching her eyes only once or twice. When everyone had stuffed themselves to the gills, Tess and Kate began clearing dishes.

“Kate, we’ve got it,” Brendan said, taking the dishes from her hands. “Go play with the girls, wear ‘em out for me, huh?”

She smiled. Emily immediately took her hand and they traveled down the stairs to the swing set where Tommy was pushing Rosie.

“Push me higher than Rosie,” Emily stated, almost demandingly.

“How about we go just as high as Rosie?” Kate suggested. That seemed to please the little girl enough and she hopped on the swing as Kate began pushing.

For a few minutes, the only banter was between Rosie and Emily, which was bordering on a fight every other sentence. Kate decided she would be the first to break the adult silence.

“So how did the food taste?” Kate asked, immediately chiding herself in her head for asking something so stupid.

“It was really good,” he replied, his voice deep and gruff. “I didn’t expect the watermelon to be so sweet.”

“Yeah, I found that at a small farmer’s market,” she said, looking forward. 

Tommy nodded, turning the chomped toothpick in his mouth, not knowing what else to say. He knew he was never good with first impressions, but he was sure he was bombing this one.

“So what do you do?” she asked, knowing the general answer but failing to find another topic to discuss. 

“I fight. I was at the fight last night,” he answered.

“Oh, you’re the beast who kept KO’ing everyone,” she said, finally turning her head to smile.

He nodded.

“Yeah, I guess,” he stated shyly.

“You fought in Sparta, too, right? Against Bren?” she asked, giving Emily another gentle push.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I guess being Tess’ good friend, you watched the matches for Brendan.”

“Yeah. No offense, but I was rooting for him,” she said, her full lips twisting up into a slight smile.

Tommy smirked. “That’s ok…I think all along, so was I.”

A comfortable silence fell between them until Rosie grew bored of the swinging. Kate watched as Tommy gently stopped the swing and lifted her off. His face changed when he spoke to his nieces; he became this softer version of the big, muscled Marine everyone knew him to be. His hair, shaggy but a trim above his ears, gave him a boyish look. Kate found herself studying his straight nose, those full lips again. Before she could look away, he caught her eyes.

“Hey, we’re starting a movie in the den, come inside!” Tess yelled from the sliding glass door.

Kate waved to acknowledge her and took the girls’ hands, walking across the yard to the deck stairs. Tommy tried his hardest not to watch her hips sway.

Kate laid amongst massive pillows and blankets on the floor, Emily and Rosie wrapped around her in some form. Brendan, Frank and Tommy sat at the dining room table, quietly nursing beers and discussing Tommy’s next fight in a couple weeks. Every so often they would chuckle from some joke one of them relayed. Paddy had gone home since it was nearing his 9 p.m. bedtime. Tess curled up in a chair. Kate noticed the tangible ease everyone took once Paddy was gone, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to feel sorry for the old man or not.

Within an hour, the girls had tuckered out. Brendan and Tess gently lifted them from the floor and took them to their room. Kate moved silently around the kitchen as Frank and Tommy sat at the table.

“Can I get you guys anything before I head out?” she said, causing the men to look up at her.

“No, thank you, though,” Frank said.

“I’m good, thank you,” Tommy said, smiling quickly at her before dropping his eyes.

“Okay, well good night,” she said, walking toward the door.

“You gonna be around from now on?” Tommy said a bit louder, looking over his shoulder to her.

Kate nodded and smiled, slipping her flip flops over her feet.

“I’ll see you around, I’m sure,” she said quietly.

Just then, Tess came out and hugged her goodbye. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that Frank playfully punched Tommy’s shoulder, smirking at him.

“Someone’s sprung,” he said, chuckling under his breath.

“C’mon, I’m being polite,” Tommy said defensively, getting up to toss his beer bottle into the trash.


	3. Out On A Limb

The night seemed to move at a glacial speed. Kate had worked a full shift at Dr. Whitlock’s office today, which was rare. Nothing interesting ever really happened at a family practitioners office. With just two hours between her shift there and her shift here, she felt like the moment that she could finally fall into bed would never come.

The worst part was that it was a double-event shift; college night and fight night. The place would be crawling with drunken idiots from the local frat row. She’d been hit on three times already and called a ‘bitch’ twice for ignoring them. She spit in their drinks and didn’t think twice. They reminded her of Jack and, in her eyes, spitting in their drinks was the least she could do.

“Ow owwww,” a girl cat-called, making Kate turn to see who she was referencing.

Tess smiled wide, holding Brendan’s hand. Tommy walked behind them with his hands shoved into his jean pockets, smirking at her.

“Excuse me sir, but you’re going to have to take your drunken wife home, she’s disturbing my regulars,” Kate said, smiling at Brendan and leaning her elbows on the bar.

“I’ll control her,” Brendan said, chuckling and taking a swift look around.

“What brings you guys out? Missing the memories of Thirsty Thursdays?” Kate said, smiling quickly in Tommy’s direction. She was glad Tess hadn’t noticed.

“Nah, Tommy here suggested we check out the fighters on the circuit. He’ll probably come up against some of them in the next few months,” Brendan explained, eyeing Tommy like there was another nagging reason Tommy wanted to come to The Fight Club.

“Ah, good strategy. Well, what’s everyone drinking?” Kate asked, pulling back the cooler’s lid.

“You know mine, Katie,” Tess said, swaying gently against Brendan to the unfamiliar rap beat in the background. Tess and Kate knew how to tear it up back in college. They vowed, once Kate was settled back at home, to do it up big at least once a month. They were both from strong Irish blood and they could hold their Jameson better than some men.

“Miller Light for me,” Brendan said.

Kate nodded and worked quickly around the bar, popping the top on Brendan’s bottle and pouring Tess her signature Irish Highball.

“You?” Kate nodded in Tommy’s direction. He snapped his head back from looking toward the Octagon and thought for a second.

“Uh…Jameson and Coke,” he said, shrugging.

“Good choice,” she said, smirking as she poured the contents into his glass. Their fingers grazed as he went to grab the drink before she had pulled her hand away.

Brendan paid for the drinks and Tess immediately pulled him to the dance floor. Kate knew these nights for them were few and far between. She enjoyed seeing them cut loose like they used to.

Tommy took a seat at the bar directly in front of Kate. He seemed to be interested in the flat screen behind her, but when she wasn’t looking, he assessed her quickly. Her all black ensemble was probably somewhat of a uniform, but he’d be damned if she didn’t look good.

“How’s things been?” he asked loudly enough over the bumping music, realizing it had been almost two weeks since they met at the barbeque. 

“Not so bad. Today’s been a little rough but it’s my weekend,” she replied, leaning closer against the bar so they wouldn’t have to yell.

He nodded and flashed the same closed-mouth smile.

“So I figured you and Tess would have been hanging out every couple ‘a days or somethin’…I haven’t seen you come around,” Tommy said, sliding a calloused finger over the condensation on his glass.

“Yeah, I work a lot. Why? You lookin’ for me?” she asked, staring at him and beaming a smug smile, already knowing the answer to her question.

“Nah. Nothin’ like that,” he white-lied, smirking at his drink. “I just thought it was nice to not be the third wheel for a change...have another adult around that wasn’t Pop or my trainer.”

Kate nodded slowly and kept smiling. “Ah…” was all she said.

“We could hang out, y’know? If you got time on one ‘a your days off,” he said finally, just as the song changed and Tess and Brendan began to slow dance.

Normally, the girls he’d dealt with in the past just needed to hear the words ‘my place’ and they’d be ready to go. They had filled the lonely void when military duties weren’t at the forefront of his mind. But Kate obviously wasn’t them, and he didn’t want her to be. He had to be a gentleman and actually ask to see her.

“Y’know, I might,” she said, still smiling. She knew what he was getting at and he looked incredibly adorable doing so. A part of her mind felt confused, a guy who looked like Tommy and the word “adorable” didn’t normally fit.

“What about Friday?” he asked, finally looking up at her.

“Friday’s good,” she said while writing her number on a slip of paper from the bar. 

She slid it to him and he smirked, carefully placing the paper in his pocket. The crowd gathered toward the ring and the announcer set them into a frenzy. Brendan and Tess waved Tommy over and he thanked Kate for the drink before setting off toward the outskirts of the chairs.

Kate smiled until her mind got the best of her, and then she felt a wave of nervousness crash over her.

~~~

“Tommy!? Tommy Conlon…as in Brendan’s brother!?” Tess said, stage-whispering the last four words.

Kate shook her head ‘yes’, giving her a worried look. The massive bun of hair piled on top of her head shook with each nod.

“Did I totally fuck up?” she asked, nervous that she may have gotten in over her head before anything had even taken place.

“Well, you could do a lot worse…oh, wait…you did,” Tess said in reference to Jack, instantly becoming playful.

Kate scowled and pinched Tess’ arm, hopping down from the kitchen counter and popping a baby carrot in her mouth. Tess giggled and checked around the corner for Brendan as she continued plating some snacks for the girls. He would be home from school any minute now.

“To be honest, I think Tommy’s actually okay, which isn’t something I would have said 8 or 9 months ago,” Tess said. “Now I know why he wanted to go to the arena last night, what a sly mother effer.”

Kate furrowed her brow and smiled at her mommy-censor. Tess used to have just as much of a sailor’s vocabulary that Kate had. Just then, Brendan burst through the door with Emily and Rosie hanging from each one of his arms.

“Raaaaaaaaawwwwwwrrrrrr,” he bellowed, playfully swinging the girls onto the sectional in the den. Tess and Kate smiled, immediately ending the conversation.

Before it could get too late, Kate wanted to hit up the mall. She asked if Tess could come along, for “emotional support and stuff.” Brendan shooed them away and continued playing with the girls. The women hopped into Kate’s 2005 Dodge Neon and made their way to a few stores.

“So…what’s Tommy’s back story. Fill me in on something so I’m not going in blind here,” Kate asked, sniffing random lotions in Bath and Body Works.

“I’ve only had the past year to get to know him since he moved back, so I don’t know much,” Tess began. “But I do know he’s really polite, and he’s become really great with the girls.”

“Yeah, I noticed that at the cook-out,” Kate replied.

“As far as I know, the only trouble he’s ever been in was deserting his unit, and even then he ended up acting heroically, so that should tell you something.”

Kate nodded, remembering the twist to the story last year that played out in front of the MMA world. 

“Any crazy ex-girlfriends from the last year?” Kate asked.

“Not that I know of,” Tess said. “I’m not sure why, though. It’s not as if he’s ugly. And he’s probably charming when he wants to be. I think he’s generally just focused on fighting and mending things here. He doesn’t have the Marines or his mom to go back to.”

Kate soaked up the information like a sponge. She hoped to get more out of Tommy tomorrow night, but she also didn’t want to broach a subject that could completely ruin the whole experience.

“Just don’t bring up his mom, or the past,” Tess said. “If he’s anything like Brendan, they just don’t want to talk about it if they don’t have to.”

Kate made the mental note and the women exited to the next store.

After a new dress and top, the women walked calmly back to Kate’s car.

“You’re going to tell Brendan tonight, aren’t you?” Kate said, driving carefully back to the house.

“Um yeah, it wouldn’t be good to keep it from him and I’m sure Tommy isn’t going to offer up this information,” Tess said. “Plus, we tell each other everything anyway.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Marriage code,” Kate said, making Tess scoff.

They hugged quickly and Tess made Kate swear to call her tomorrow with details after their “hang out.” Kate swore, mocking a Scout’s honor, and headed home to await Tommy’s call.

It was around 10:15 p.m. when her iPhone began buzzing gently on her nightstand.

“Hello?” she answered, knowing full well who it was.

“Hey, Kate? It’s Tommy, Brendan’s brother,” he said, his voice still deep, but steady.

“Hey Tommy, how’s it going?”

“It’s good, sorry it’s so late,” he said. “It was a little hectic today. I just got back into town.”

“That’s okay,” she said, imagining what Frank’s gym was like, crawling with fighters. “So what’s the plan?”

“I was, uh, thinking this diner near Pop’s house,” he said, sounding hopeful. “I can pick you up or meet you there, whatever you’re good with.”

“We could ride together, if it’s not too far out of your way,” she said, trying to sound as impassive as possible.

He took down her address and said he’d be at her apartment by 6 p.m. The hang-up was quick and borderline awkward.


	4. Breaking Ice

He watched her walk quickly to his truck. Her hair was curled at the ends and she wore dark-wash denim jeans that hugged her hips. A creamy, white top hung loose around her, slouching off her shoulders with thin straps preventing the fabric from dipping too low. Before she could reach his truck, he had met her on the passenger side and opened the door for her. Kate couldn’t help but think how unexpected, and sweet, the gesture was.

“You look really nice,” he said, staring straight ahead but letting a small smile play at his lips. Kate noticed he was chewing on a toothpick again.

“Thanks,” she answered, glancing toward him.

She wanted to tell him he looked good, too, but the only word that came to mind was ‘hot,’ and that just would have been awkward. She felt like they were in high school when in reality, she was 29, and he 30. She couldn’t deny how attractive he was in a button-up and jeans. His hair was still wet from his shower and she could faintly smell his musky, minty body wash in the truck’s cab.

The place was small and obviously for the working middle-class, something that made her feel instantly comfortable. It reminded her of a diner her dad frequented on Saturday mornings when she was a kid. She didn’t come from money and she was glad she didn’t have to pretend that she had all night. It was also across the street from one of the biggest gay bars in Pittsburgh, which made her smile. 

They took a corner booth by the large windows and flipped the one-page menu over, deciding what to order. He ordered a piece of chicken, unbreaded and boneless, with steamed broccoli on the side. She ordered the same, realizing it sounded pretty good and it wasn't too messy or doused in garlic. She chalked his choice up to the fighter’s diet; protein and veggies.

It hadn’t been more than 15 minutes when the middle-aged waitress returned with their plates, interrupting the beginning of their conversation. They both ordered water to drink and took their time eating. The place was virtually empty, save for the cook, waitress and an elderly gentleman gumming some mashed potatoes.

“So I feel like I know only bits and pieces about you from TV,” Kate said, finishing a bite of chicken.

“Yeah, they don’t always put out the full story,” he said, picking up his napkin to wipe the corners of his full lips. “What do you want to know?”

“I guess whatever you’d like to tell me,” she said, sending him a warm smile.

So he started in, skipping the unsavory parts of his abusive childhood, him and his mom leaving and the string of girls he’d known throughout his early and mid-twenties. He also grazed over barely finishing high school and immediately signing his name on the dotted line of a six-year contract with the Corps, which he renewed for another four years when it ran out. He told her about some of the cooler places he’d seen; Italy for two days before his first tour in Iraq, Spain on the way to his second tour, then Germany on the way to his third. Kate noticed in each story, Tommy mentioned, as he called him, his “best friend, Manny.” He trailed off after what Kate assumed was the beginning of his time during the war.

“I saw his wife during the Sparta broadcast,” Kate said quietly. “I’m sorry...”

She truly meant the words and he could see it in her face. He nodded quickly and sniffed. He didn’t dare punish her with the stories of bombs, friendly fire and straight FUBAR situations. Instead, he led her through the last year of training and fighting, getting to know his brother once again and rediscovering a dysfunctional family that seemed to function just fine that way. When he looked up again, she was smiling sweetly. He smiled back, wholeheartedly this time, and she noticed the way the skin around his eyes crinkled. He was boyishly handsome when he wasn’t brooding.

“So what about you? Let’s hear it,” he said, seeming to physically relax right in front of her eyes as he downed a gulp of ice water.

“Me? I don’t s’pose there’s much to know…” she began, glancing around.

She mentioned her childhood in Pittsburgh, just her mom, dad and brother. She was an OK student in high school and went to college for nursing, which he already knew. She mentioned she was waiting to hear back from UPMC Mercy Hospital about a nursing position open in the long-term care ward.

“I’m sure you’ll get it,” Tommy said genuinely. “You seem like you’re pretty on your toes.”

She smiled in thanks and mentioned that after the last five years, she didn’t feel like it. She skipped the details of her and Jack’s rocky relationship, which bordered on emotional, verbal and physical abuse more often than not. Instead, she focused on Boston and how badly she wanted to come back to Pennsylvania, something she never thought she’d feel.

Tommy snickered at that thought, echoing her sentiments with a nod. But she said she had missed Tess, Brendan and the girls, and that this place was home, where her older brother, Jeff, was. Tommy felt slightly envious of the relationship this seeming stranger had with his family before he got the chance. But he also realized that after his shit childhood, everything that led up to that last moment in the cage with Brendan helped them reach where they were now. It also led him to the girl sitting in front of him.

“Your parents still live ‘round here, too?” he asked, quickly wiping crumbs from his corner of the table.

“They died when I was 21,” Kate answered calmly, this not being the first time she had to say it. He stopped short and looked up at her.

“Not like in the movies, where they get to go together in a car accident or something…” she continued, fiddling with the corner of her paper napkin. “My mom had cancer and after she went, my dad stopped taking care of himself. He died in his sleep about four months after she did.”

“I’m sorry,” was all Tommy could think to say. He, too, knew the pain of watching a parent wither away from the disease. Before he knew it, his mouth was saying the words he wasn’t used to so freely sharing.

“My mom died of cancer, too…just before I joined the Corps,” he said, ending the sentence in almost a whisper.

“Is that why you enlisted?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” he answered, staring at his rough, large hands. He examined the small individual scars that peppered his tan skin. Some were newer, a pink color that comes at the end of the healing process. Others were paler than his skin tone, reminding him of memories, of cuts he’d received fixing a flat on the side of a sandy road in Fallujah or yanking the door off a tank of drowning Marines.

She watched his eyes fade back into another world, another place. Perhaps the house his mother and he lived in, or perhaps his Marine base in the Middle East. He seemed removed and disconnected from the moment. She began to wonder if maybe this happened often; maybe tough Tommy Conlon was still stuck in that hot desert.

There was suddenly this unspoken bond between them and she reached her hand across the table, lightly touching his muscled forearm. He seemed to come back to the little diner from wherever he had wandered off to in his mind. They both knew what it was to suffer, yet they never wanted the world’s sympathy for it. He smiled tightly at her and reveled in the warmth of another human’s softer touch. He was so used to the harder side of things. Just then, the waitress walked over to ask if they wanted dessert.

“Got anything chocolate?” Kate said, smiling up at the woman and pulling her hand back.

Tommy let her to pick out a slice of chocolate cheesecake, something he learned was her favorite. He declined his own piece, but she insisted he have a bite, which he did. He vowed to kick his ass a little harder in the morning during training.

The topic turned to lighter discussion, such as music, something they both loved. Though he couldn’t tell from her looks, Kate had pretty good taste in hip hop, rap and metal, his go-to genres for training. They’d also been the favorite of his platoon, Manny usually taking charge of the shitty CD player they’d rigged into their Humvee. Pilar never liked the stuff, Manny had told him. But he knew he would need a girl someday who could handle bass beats and incessant swearing. He was surprised at how quickly he’d become attracted to her.

They had unknowingly leaned over the table closer to one another, chatting randomly about films, crappy teachers in high school, silly childhood antics and whether either of them had been married before or had any kids.

“Me neither,” she said, echoing his theory that he hadn’t found the right person to get hitched to or have children with yet.

“I haven’t met a chick that could handle all the baggage I come with,” Tommy said, raising his eyebrows at the truth of the statement, staring at an invisible spot on the table.

“Everyone’s got baggage,” Kate said, obviously holding back details of her own past. “If someone can’t handle that, they don’t deserve us.”

She looked up at him with a sad smile and he smirked back.

They took a cue from the awkward, transitional silence and instead dove into the topic of MMA. Tommy became focused and serious when explaining different moves and how he felt getting into a ring and facing an opponent. He sounded like an old man explaining his trade to a kid on his first day of the job. 

“I was only ever good at two things—fighting and being a Marine,” he said with the slightest smirk on his face, staring out the window as the last bit of sunset escaped behind the bridge.

Kate listened, noticing his in-depth knowledge and skill in the sport, but also realizing he severely underrated himself. Maybe that explained his fierceness in the ring, Kate thought; he was quick and angry because he felt he had to be. Or maybe he was angry and this was the only acceptable channel he could release that anger without going back to prison for an entirely different reason.

When the conversation had come to a comfortable lull, Tommy realized he didn’t want to take her home just yet.

“You wanna go on a walk with me?” he said, smiling gently at her from across the table.

“Yeah, sure,” she replied, feeling a flutter in her tummy from the way he was looking at her.

He paid the check and racked his brain while driving away, thinking of what park was open and well-lit at 9 p.m. He settled on an open path that circled a man-made lake near his apartment and they fell into a slow, comfortable pace. He wasn’t sure if he should walk close to her, or give her space. Should he hold her hand? Would it scare her away? Why did he sound like he was 13 again? Fuck.

He felt completely out of his element with Kate. He thought he saw her smile when their fingers interlaced and for a length of the path, they walked in silence.

“I had a good time, Tommy, thank you,” she said, breaking the quietness. “Besides Tess and Bren, I think most of my old friends have moved away. It’s nice to meet someone new.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.

They spent the rest of the walk chatting about Emily and Rosie, and how Tommy and Brendan had found ways to bond again, especially through fighting. The rest…they were still working on that.

Kate found herself wondering what Tommy was like before Sparta, before he was exactly how he was at this moment. Then she realized it didn’t matter and that whatever he went through, it brought him here. She wished he would smile more, considering the effect it had on her. She felt like she was 12 years old, and she hated it and loved it, all at the same time.

They reached Tommy’s old Dodge Dakota and he opened her door. He drove slowly back to her apartment complex.

“Thanks again,” she said, toying with the handles of her purse before getting out of the truck.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, keeping a comfortable distance between them. “Can we do this again…maybe when your work schedule evens out?”

She smiled at her hands and replied, “yeah.”

“Just give me a call,” she added.

Before she could push the door open, he spoke up quickly.

“Actually, I got a fight next weekend,” he said, his body turned toward her but his face staring out the windshield. “You should come…” He looked back at her again, a toothpick twirling in place between his lips.

She agreed and told him to call her with the time and place. He agreed and they exchanged lingering smiles before she hopped out and walked out of sight into her building.


	5. The First Fight

It was sort of like ESP.

Not five minutes after she had hung up with the head nurse at Mercy Hospital, informing her she got the job, Tommy called to give her the time and place of the fight tomorrow night. Kate could barely contain her excitement and she nearly screamed it at him.

“I got the job!” she said when she answered his call, sounding incredibly happy.

He smiled wide on the other line. He didn’t expect someone so small to be so loud.

“That’s awesome, congratulations,” he said. “Feel like celebrating tomorrow night then?”

“Fuck yes,” she said in a big sigh, hearing him outwardly laugh on the other end of the line. She found herself wishing she was next to him to hear it and see it at the same time.

“Alright, well the fight’s at Lucky’s in Harrisburg,” he said. “Tess and Brendan are coming and I’m guessing she’ll want you to ride with them.”

“Probably,” she answered. “So will I see you beforehand?”

He smiled at the question, allowing himself the notion to believe that she liked him just as much as he liked her already.

“Yeah, if you want to,” he said. The truth was that if he didn’t get to see her before he went out, he knew his focus would be off. But he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Well, I don’t want to interrupt your focus or anything,” she trailed, seemingly reading his mind.

“Nah, no way,” he said, dismissing her fear. “It’ll be good.” Tommy Conlon, always short with words.

They said quick goodbyes and Tommy felt like the hours between now and tomorrow night would drag like a bitch.

~~~

Kate’s leg bounced uncontrollably in the backseat as Brendan carefully parked his new-ish car in the back 40 of the lot.

He’d questioned her about the date she had with Tommy briefly, unsure if he wanted to know details about their night or not. She answered him truthfully and shrugged off knowing looks from Tess in the rear view mirror, who knew just about every word they exchanged over the course of the 5-hour outing last week. Tess also knew every phone call and text message they’d exchanged since then, but she wasn’t telling Brendan.

They stepped out of the car and made their way inside the slightly larger arena. Kate assumed Tommy and Frank were in the back, preparing for the fight. She walked with Tess to the bar, waiting patiently for the bartender to take their drink orders.

“Are you nervous?” Tess asked, knowing that Kate was already starting to like Tommy.

“No…yes. Do I look like it?” Kate asked, hating her own guts for being such a fucking girl about the situation.

“Get a drink in you, you’ll be fine,” Tess said, ordering two vodka cranberries.

Brendan retrieved a beer and led the women back toward the dressing rooms reserved for whatever entertainment was there that night. He asked a guard which room Conlon and Campana were in, and was directed to the second to last door on the left. When they walked in, Tommy was sitting shirtless on the medical-grade table, hands padded and taped, hair dripping wet. Kate got her first look at his shirtless body and she never had to try so hard, in her entire life, not to stare. His muscles were defined and slick with either water or sweat, she couldn’t tell. Hell, his fucking muscles had muscles, especially his traps. She was also surprised by the slew of tattoos, tracing the intricate lines with her eyes. He had faint chest hair and a slight tan.

“Heyyy,” Frank said in his signature way.

All three echoed a ‘hi’ and shuffled in to shut the door. Tommy nodded at his brother and flashed a pre-fight tight smile at Tess and Kate. Kate felt nervous saying anything to him; he seemed to be pissed and focused all at once. She was just about to look away when she caught another sweet smirk from him, his eyes wrinkling in the corners. That was becoming a telltale sign that his smile was genuine.

“Kate, right?” Frank said, breaking their eyes from one another, shaking her hand.

“Yeah, hey, good to see you again,” she said, smiling. Frank shook her hand and stepped off toward Brendan and Tess. Frank and Brendan began bantering about the contenders lined up for the evening. Tess listened intently, giving Kate a chance to step closer to Tommy and speak a little more privately.

“How’s it going?” she asked, standing about three feet away, sloshing the ice around in her glass.

“It’s going,” he said, smirking quickly. “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too,” she replied, smiling toward the floor where her black suede peep-toe pumps stared back at her.

“You look nice,” he said, sitting up a little straighter. Kate tried not to stare at the movement of his body or the beads of sweat that traveled slowly down his skin. If she stared any closer, she would have sworn she could see heat radiating from his shoulders.

“Thanks,” she said, feeling the blush flood her cheeks.

They smiled at each other one more time before he realized Frank had stepped over to the counter and Brendan and Tess seemed to be waiting for Kate to head out with them to find seats. They seemed to look at every object in the tiny room except for Tommy and Kate, completely failing at being subtle.

“I’ll see you out there…good luck,” she said, tapping her knuckles to his knee quickly before walking out the door.

His grey eyes watched her, taking mental note of how good her ass looked in the short dress she was wearing. Frank watched Tommy’s eyes follow her and playfully punched his good shoulder.

“Focus, Conlon,” Frank said sternly, switching from guy to trainer-mode instantly.

Tommy wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard Frank say “sprung” under his breath in between a snicker.

Kate followed Brendan and Tess to some seats right down in front. Brendan nodded ‘hello’ to a few younger guys who seemed to recognize him from Sparta. Before long, the announcer climbed into the cage and got the show started. The first opponent was brought out, swaggering like an asshole down the aisle to Waka Flaka Flame’s “No Hands.” Kate followed suit with Brendan and Tess and about half the crowd, refusing to cheer or clap. Though the guy was probably a regular, half the crowd was here to see Sparta runner-up, the Marine Tommy Conlon.

In a quick announcement of only his name, Tommy sauntered out from the entrance and stopped short at the cage’s steps. Frank trailed him and immediately took to his corner. Tommy removed his black sweatshirt and was thoroughly checked out by an official. He glanced toward where his brother, sister-in-law and Kate were seated, nodding once before turning to face the contender he was ready to beat the shit out of.

Kate found it hard to see him take a punch or kick, but luckily, the first guy didn’t get very many in. Tommy continued to pick his way through the amateur fighters, one by one. Brendan commented, with a chuckle, between the second and third fighter that they were giving the usually “one-and-done” Tommy a run for his money tonight and he liked it. Tess giggled with him and Kate tried desperately to not think about the meaning of that phrase in a sexual manner.

After the judge declared Tommy the overall winner, and $9,500 richer, the trio headed back to the room to congratulate him.

Frank was tending to a severe black eye, a cut on Tommy’s cheek and a small split in his bottom lip when they walked in. Kate could already see the bruises forming on his ribs. If he was in pain, which he had to be, he didn’t show it.

“Great job, little brother,” Brendan said, interlocking fists with Tommy and slapping his back.

Kate watched as he shyly accepted the compliment; she could tell Tommy didn’t mind hearing kind words from his big brother after years of absence, but he wasn’t comfortable with the attention. He might not ever be comfortable with it. Tess quickly hugged him before he became too sweaty again and Tommy smiled at Kate.

“What’d you think Kate? You gonna be a regular with this crew now—this band of misfits?” Frank asked, placing antiseptic on Tommy’s cut.

“Frank, you do know I’ve been runnin’ with Tess and Bren before you, right?,” Kate replied playfully. “I’m just reclaiming my spot.”

The room chuckled in response, even Frank knew she had a good point. He nodded and smiled, continuing to assess his fighter’s wounds. Shortly after, he joined the three of them out in the hall while Tommy stretched and showered. In 10 minutes flat, he emerged in a black T-shirt and those same faded jeans. His worn work boots were laced and tied loosely. He seemed more balanced after a win and a shower, but even the wad of cash in his back pocket didn’t erase his typical blank stare.

“Drinks! Tommy’s buying,” Frank yelled, gripping his fighter’s shoulders and coaxing a smile out of him.

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” Tommy said, letting the crew pass him so he could walk by Kate toward the bar.

A few younger girls clamored for him immediately, asking for autographs. Kate smiled and winked at him before walking past the gaggle to the bar. He quickly signed their slips of paper and kept his eyes glued to the Sharpie in his hand. One asked for a photo, which he quickly obliged. He wasn’t even sure he looked at the camera; this kind of attention still baffled him and it was the last thing he wanted.

Once the group dissipated into a fit of giggles, he joined them at the bar.

“You’re a star, my boy, a staaah,” Frank said, sending Brendan into a belly laugh and causing Tommy to roll his eyes. These three men could rival the stooges when they really got going. Tommy squashed that opportunity at the moment, unsure if Kate should be subjected to such fuckery. If she stuck around though, she'd have to deal with it just like Tess did.

He ordered a beer and told the bartender to get Kate whatever she’d like. She decided on a Jameson and Coke as Tommy paid and tipped the bartender for the group’s drinks, popping a fresh toothpick into the side of his mouth.

“Thanks,” she said, leaning close so he could hear over the bumping music.

He leaned back to smile down at her; even in her three-and-a-half-inch heels, he still stood another inch or two above her. He noticed her outfit in more detail, a black, form-fitting dress that was simple, save for the lace back that ended about mid-thigh. Compared to some of the shit he’d seen on girls in this place so far, Kate looked ready for church. He placed a large, warm hand on her waist and leaned into her ear.

“You wanna dance?” he asked, his hot breath tickling her ear. He couldn’t remember the last time he danced with a woman. It had to have been before his last deployment; a final “fling in the States” type deal.

She shook her head ‘yes’ and they joined Tess and Brendan on the floor, moving languidly to the hip hop beat playing through the speakers. Kate gently pressed her back into his chest, careful to not get too close. She sipped her drink and followed Tommy’s body to the beat, noticing he had decent rhythm. His free hand found her waist once again and he seemed to relax as they found a familiar groove. 

A few more dance numbers played before a slower song began. Tommy didn’t think twice and spun Kate around to face him. She placed a hand on his bad shoulder while the other held her drink, which was nearing the empty mark.

They smiled at one another before dropping their gaze, pretending to watch where their feet were moving. Tommy looked up again before Kate did, leaning toward her ear again.

“I forgot to tell you how nice you look,” he said, leaning back to a comfortable distance again.

A smile broke out across her face and she leaned toward his ear. With other men, it was always ‘pretty,’ ‘beautiful,’ ‘gorgeous,’ but with Tommy, ‘nice’ meant all of those things. He was too polite to sound too crass and that was if you could get him to talk at all. So far, Kate hadn’t had much of a problem with that.

“You did…earlier,” she reminded him, her liquor-laced breath tickling his lobe. “But thank you.”

She ignored Tess and Brendan’s not-so-nonchalant stares and instead just focused on the man in front of her. His warmth was comforting. In fact, he was like a furnace. They moved slowly to the music while Tommy emptied his beer and leaned toward her again.

“Come outside with me, huh?” he asked quietly, reaching his free hand up to grab hers.

She nodded and they walked toward the door without allowing a second glance to Brendan or Tess, who were undoubtedly watching. Frank was off in some corner with a redhead who had “one night stand” written all over her. The man was all professional until the clock ran out and he could just be Frank, former MMA champ and lady extraordinaire. 

They stepped out past the lobby and fresh air from the river filled their lungs. They were still holding hands when they reached Tommy’s truck in the parking lot. The shadows cast on his face made Kate think she’d be weary of him if she didn’t know who he was. Technically, the thought reminded her she didn’t truly know who Tommy was, but that intrigued her. He smiled that closed-mouth smirk with the slight cut near the corner of his lower lip and she knew she looked like an idiot smiling back.

He let his fingertips linger on hers. He leaned his back against the side of his black truck, letting the cool breeze of the night dry his damp hair. It hurt his face to smile, but he’d felt worse pain and he noticed when he smiled, so did she. He twirled his toothpick some more.

“Were you always this sweet?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Honest?”

“Yeah, honest…” she coaxed.

“I don’t think I got a sweet bone in my body. I was a big cut-up when I was a kid and I haven’t had a relationship longer than three months since basic,” he answered, looking at his boots. His honesty surprised him.

“Well, someone somewhere made you charming,” she said, grinning up at him.

“Yeah, I guess,” he replied. “I’m not sure those clowns in the cage think that.”

She smiled at his comment, letting any inhibition she’d had about this Conlon brother fade. She realized how attracted she was to his tough exterior and his mannerisms. His ‘Burgh accent that shined through in just about every sentence he mouthed. His swift and angry movements in the ring. But she also found herself curious about his sense of humor she’d only seen a handful of times in their three encounters. She wanted to know about his past, even if it was ugly. 

Before she could finish her thought, he tossed his toothpick to the asphalt. A large hand rested on her hip and the other cupped her cheek. He moved slowly, but with determination, and his lips pressed against hers, like he couldn’t wait another minute to kiss her.

The sound of the traffic faded quickly from her ears and the world became a fuzzy, distant memory; a place to be dealt with at a later time. The full lips she had taken notice of when she first met him were moving slowly, gently with hers. 

His arm snaked around her lower back and their chests pressed together. He smelled of the familiar minty, musky scent, mixed with the slight smokiness of the bar they just exited. He struggled to control himself and be gentle. His fingers plunged into her hair, which smelled of coconut. While the pressure alerted him of how sore his face was, he focused on her full lips and the way she felt against him. She gently sucked on his upper lip, he returning the favor on her bottom lip. The urge he had faded only slightly. He still wanted more.

After a few more seconds, barely letting their tongues graze one another’s lips, they parted.

He grinned down at her, noticing how her cheeks had flushed and that she tasted sweet. She stared intently into his eyes before instigating the kiss once more. Her hands rested comfortably on either side of his rib cage while his hands linked themselves on the small of her back. She gradually became more fervent, making him wince slightly. His face muscles tensed and she pulled away.

“Jesus…I’m sorry,” she said, cradling his square jaw in her hands. “We need to get you some ice.”

“No, I’m fine,” he said, waving off his involuntary reaction.

They stood silent and still. He offered up that closed-mouth smile once more and she beamed back at him, kissing his lips gently.


	6. Fall

Kate bent down to fix the bottom of Rosie’s princess Halloween costume. She’d been screaming every five minutes thinking the stray thread dangling against her shin was a “’pider.”

“All better,” Kate said, smiling. Rosie returned a grin and took off running toward the next house that was doling out candy.

“Careful baby, don’t run!” Tess called from the curb.

The trees had turned into beautiful hues of yellow, red, orange and brown. The air was crisp and smelled of burnt wood. The sun began setting around 5 p.m., just as trick-or-treaters lined the streets. Halloween fell on Friday this year, allowing Tess, Brendan, Kate and Tommy to take the girls and two other neighborhood playmates around the neighborhood. Kate’s new job at the hospital, while slightly taxing on her sleep, had her working Sundays through Thursdays, leaving her Fridays and Saturdays free to split between Tess and Tommy. Since that night weeks ago in the parking lot of Lucky’s, Kate and Tommy found time to see each other regularly after her day shifts and his training. They approached whatever it was they were doing with caution, careful not to jump in too quick. 

“So what are you guys? Is he your boyfriend?” Tess pried, holding Rosie’s hand as they sauntered slowly toward the next house that was decked out with massive carved pumpkins.

“I don’t know,” Kate said, looking forward at Brendan, Tommy and the three older kids hitting up the next house. “If you’re asking if I like him, then yeah…I really, really like him.”

Tess smiled at her best friend who seemed to glow with this hopefulness and excitement. Tommy and Brendan stood at the curb, letting the children run up to the door. They both shoved their hands in their jeans pockets, looking so much like brothers it was frame-able. Kate smiled their way as she and Tess stopped in front of Rosie’s current venture. Being only four years old, Rosie went at a slower speed than her big sister and older friends. She also felt sort of special, getting Mommy and Auntie Kate all to herself and visiting houses on her own.

After making the rounds on seven streets in the neighborhood and letting the last bit of sunlight give way to a deep navy sky, the group walked back toward Brendan and Tess’ house. The neighborhood playmates’ parents were finally home from work and Brendan ensured they’d made it inside safely before heading home. Tommy joined Kate’s side on the walk back, holding her hand the entire way.

“Tess asked me ‘what we are,’” Kate said, fiddling with the hem on her golden yellow thermal.

“What did you tell her?” Tommy asked, watching his boots move in rhythm against her ballet flats.

“That we haven’t put labels on anything because we’re not in fucking high school,” Kate said, smirking and knowing that was mostly a white lie. Tommy didn’t notice, though, and smiled at her bluntness, something he was coming to admire about her. It was the kind of woman he wanted; someone who wouldn’t be afraid to speak her mind.

There was nothing more said on the subject as they rounded the drive and stepped in the house. Brendan had something to show Tommy online; a new fighter was joining the circuit and was spouting off about Sparta next year. Tommy was still unsure if he was going to enter again. He had until January to figure it out. Kate helped Tess check the girls’ candy, pouring the massive piles into two separate spots on the carpet and sorting through each piece.

As Kate was tossing a few Tootsie rolls that seemed too loosely wrapped, Emily stopped her short.

“Aunt Kate, why were you and Uncle Tommy holding hands?” she asked, a small finger rubbing at the witch-like face paint on her cheek.

Kate held her composure as best as she could, looking at Tess who was staring back, equally miffed. She hadn’t reached the point of how to explain whatever it is that Uncle Tommy and Aunt Kate were doing. She suddenly wondered how much Emily and Rosie had seen, including the past month’s worth of subtle affections.

“Well,” Kate began, pausing hard before thinking of how to word it, knowing the phrase “play together” meant something totally different in an adult sense. “Aunt Kate and Uncle Tommy like one another, so we hold hands and kiss sometimes.”

Her eyes darted to Tess’, nervous that she’d made the situation more confusing. Tess winked quickly before either of the girls could notice. Kate visibly relaxed.

“Are you going to marry Uncle Tommy?” Emily asked nonchalantly, popping a Jolly Rancher into her mouth.

Kate stumbled and uttered inaudible words before Tess spoke up.

“What do you think that means, Emmy?” Tess asked sweetly, trying to persuade the conversation to something less focused on her best friend and brother-in-law.

Emily began explaining in detail what she thought being married entailed, including the husband coming home in a suit with a briefcase “like Daddy,” bellowing “honey, I’m home” from the door and kissing his wife ‘hello.’

The women suppressed their laughter and Tess kissed Emily’s forehead.

“That’s exactly right, baby,” Brendan said, hiding his smile as he walked into the den. Kate saw Tommy emerging from the hallway, and she wondered how much the brothers had heard. He smirked at her and she smiled back, trying to play it cool. That was either a knowing smile of the interrogation she just endured by an 8-year-old, or he was completely oblivious to the fact that everyone seemed to want them together, or at the very least know what it was they were doing. These Conlons got nosy in the last year.

Kate realized, though, that besides Jeff, this was her only family and she would rather be put through the ringer than have no one caring about her.

After the girls were bathed and sleeping, Tess, Kate, Brendan and Tommy settled in for the Halloween marathon that played every Oct. 31 on TV. Brendan remembered taking Tommy to the old theater downtown when they were kids to watch the marathon after Trick-or-Treating. Even if they were just kids out alone, it was safer than being at home.  
Knowing how awkward it would be if Tommy and Kate kissed, they decided to leave after the first movie ended.

“Aw c’mon, it’s just getting started,” Brendan said, holding a hand out to the television to reiterate his point.

“No, yeah…we’re uh…” Tommy began, holding Kate’s hand as they shuffled around one another for their shoes. Kate peered through the dim light to find her flats.

“He’s got a sparring session tomorrow morning and I’m on call,” Kate finished, avoiding Tess’ eye contact. She knew that’d be a phone call in the morning.

The truth was that they’d been fidgeting around the urge to touch one another all night. It was easy with little kids and the task of Trick-or-Treating to distract them. But sitting in a dimly-lit room with a horror movie begging Kate to cuddle against Tommy’s body, they wanted to be alone. Tommy nodded when Kate had silently raised her eyebrows at him and cocked her head toward the door.

“Alright, well, call me about that fight, Tommy,” Brendan said, ever suspicious of his little brother. Part of him felt bad because he was more worried about what Tommy would do to Kate instead of the other way around. He wasn’t sure if that feeling would ever completely fade. Tommy had grown into who he was now on his own, and partly due to very shitty circumstances, and Brendan was struggling to understand that he was removed from that process long ago.

“Will do,” Tommy agreed, half-stumbling out the front door behind Kate who was halfway through the yard to his truck.

He made long strides toward her and smacked her ass before she reached the truck’s passenger door, causing her to yelp. This was playful Tommy, who seemed to be making more and more appearances lately. Once she was in the truck’s cab, she waited patiently until he was in, door shut and looking at her. She stared back for only a second before lunging across the cab to the driver’s side. He met her less than half way, and their lips attacked one another. After a solid minute of kissing and gentle groping, they parted and sat back in their respective seats. Kate tried desperately to keep her chest from heaving while Tommy leaned his head back against the seat, trying to keep his own composure.

“Do you want to come over?” he asked after a minute, looking at her innocently as the orange glow of the streetlights cast shadows across her features.

She smiled and nodded. He assumed she would be the first person to broach the “seeing-each-other’s-apartments” topic, but tonight, she seemed to be waiting for his lead. He revved up his truck and drove to his place.

On the third floor of a quiet, plain apartment complex, he opened his front door and stepped aside. He placed a hand on her lower back, ushering her inside. With the flip of a switch, the living room was illuminated. Kate was surprised by his cleanliness, then realized he was forced to be immaculate for years in the Marines. The white walls were bare, save for a large calendar mounted near the kitchen which had training sessions, fights and other miscellaneous MMA events scribbled on it. In what Kate assumed was the dining area, a mat, weights and training bag were lined against the wall. A comfy-looking sectional dominated the living room space with a large flat screen sitting diagonally in the corner.

She looked over her right shoulder at him as he closed the door, careful not to intrude to far into his space. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t need much…” he said.

She smiled at his statement. Tommy was black and white in some ways, cut and dry, simple and straightforward. But in other ways, she noticed a gray area bubbling up from inside of him. The tension he tried to ease around his father, the way he seemed to take everything personally when inside the ring. She didn’t feel scared, she felt intrigued. She felt like a magnet being pulled toward him.

He switched the TV on, finding the channel that had just begun the second Halloween film. She plopped down on the couch, removing her shoes and tucking her feet underneath her. Tommy emerged from the kitchen with two beers, popping the top off one and handing it to her. She thanked him and he sat next to her, resting a muscled arm on the back of the couch behind her shoulders. Without thinking, she nestled into him, his familiar warmth suddenly comforting. The man was consistently warm. She also felt the urge to kiss him start to reappear. Instead, she took a long drag of her beer.

“So what were the girls asking you about tonight?” Tommy asked, his lips dangerously close to her ear.

“Us…why we were holding hands…they’re getting a little curious, ‘specially Em,” Kate answered, turning her head slightly toward him. His eyes studied the curve of her cheekbone, the round tip of her nose, her full lips and the green color of her eyes, illuminated by the TV screen. “How much did you hear?”

The question brought him back to the topic and she was smirking, gauging how much he knew and hoping it wasn’t much.

“Enough to know that it seems like everyone and their dog wants us to put a label on it,” he said softly, his deep voice smooth.

Kate didn’t say anything. The more the topic came up, the more she felt like not only would it be easier to call Tommy hers, but maybe it would fulfill what she really wanted. She seemed to be lying about it to herself until now. But before she could say the words, Tommy seemed to be reading her mind.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’m content enough to just call you my girl and leave it at that,” he said. “No need for all this back and forth bullshit.”

Kate dropped her eyes and smiled, trying to mask her happiness. Her theory of Tommy kept proving itself to be true; some things for him were just black and white. Straightforward and simple.

“That settles it then,” she said, finally turning her head enough to look him in the eye.

He nodded and then moved toward her, kissing her deeply. His gentleness always caught her off guard. He moved slowly to face her completely, taking her head in his hands. She smiled against his lips and shifted her weight, pulling him toward her until they laid flat on the couch. She expected him to weigh more, the sheer size of him giving anyone that impression. But his muscles flexed as he hovered over her, their legs tangling together. His 5’10” frame eclipsed her own.

Tommy reveled in the way her body felt underneath him. He would be lying if he said he didn’t think often about that feeling in the last month. They continued their kiss, which grew feverish. He shifted his weight on her to allow one hand its use, slipping his fingertips just a few inches under the hem of her thermal. The skin of her hip was warm and soft and he continued to move further upward, tickling her ribs and grazing the fabric of her bra. They broke the kiss only to allow Tommy the chance to attack her neck, kissing, licking and sucking on the skin. Her breath hitched and her hands gripped his arms, muscles and all.

Suddenly, Tommy pulled back and wasted no time grazing her belly button to undo her jeans’ snap and zipper. He ran his palm across the skin in between her hips, sending a shudder up Kate’s spine. Their motions froze when her iPhone sounded in her purse. The designated ringtone that signaled the hospital calling filled the room.

“Shit,” she muttered, grabbing her phone and answering.

She gave Tommy an apologetic look as she listened to the head nurse explain that she would need to come in. She tried to keep her voice steady as Tommy continued his assault on her neck and collarbone. According to the R.N., a series of heavy cases came into the E.R., sending some nurses from her ward down to help. They would need her to come in and cover her normal round of patients for at least four hours until the “Halloween rush” died down. Holidays would never fail to bring in the stupid. She quietly agreed and hit the “end” button on the screen. She allowed herself just one more second of lust before saying she had to leave.

“I know,” he said, his lips moving against her jaw. “I just wanted to get in as much as I could.”

She smiled, kissing him deeply once more before they sat up. He searched around for the remote, grasping in the dim lighting. Before he could place it, Kate straddled his hips, pressing her chest against his. His hands rested on the small of her back, his fingertips dipping into the waistband of her jeans.

“Think you’ll be free tomorrow to come over?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair.

“Just give me a time, I’ll be there,” he said gruffly as his head tilted back and his eyes closed at the sensation. His entire body melted into the couch cushions as Kate’s nails made tracks along his scalp.

“Five o’clock,” she whispered into his ear, nipping at his lobe. She felt his arms encompass her and his hands move up her back.

They kissed once more before leaving. She had a quick shift to complete and an apartment to clean before 5 p.m. tomorrow.


	7. Baggage Claim

He’d arrived right on time the next day to her apartment. The gentle welcome kiss escalated immediately and they stumbled their way to Kate’s bedroom and flopped onto the full-size mattress she had carefully made half an hour earlier. As much as they would deny it, they both knew the reason for this mid-afternoon meet-up and they were OK with that.

Neither of them knew what to expect from one another in terms of sex. While the first moments seemed intense, an awkward pause set off playful laughter as they sloppily rushed to get undressed. It wasn’t until the last piece of clothing hit the floor and their skin touched completely under the warmth of the blankets that time seemed to slow down. Tommy didn’t mind making the first move, either. He’d swiftly ducked his head under the covers, leaving a path of hot, urgent bites and kisses from Kate’s collar bone to her hip. He wasted no time when he finally reached the smooth skin between her legs. Kate’s first orgasm was powerful, but relatively quiet. She didn’t want to give everything away on the first try; the moment would be over much too soon.

When Tommy had reclaimed his spot, they’d kissed passionately and fucked slow. Intermittent moans filled the otherwise quiet apartment, something Kate had almost no control over. Tommy’s growls proved harder to resist than she originally thought. His hands, rough and calloused, skimmed her skin, leaving trails of goosebumps in their wake. There wasn’t a part of Kate’s body that Tommy didn’t touch.

Before long, Kate felt the familiar warmth building once more in the lowest part of her abdomen and she let go that time, not caring if she looked or sounded silly. She dug her nails deep into the flexed muscles of Tommy’s back as her own back involuntarily arched off the bed. Her breathing quickened and her lips formed a slight, uneven ‘O’. He felt her thighs clench around his hips and then melt as her body fell limp and her chest rose and fell rhythmically. He had watched every moment, feeling complete satisfaction.

He thrust determinedly a few more times before getting his own release, dropping his forehead into the crook her neck. He growled deep as his fists gathered handfuls of Kate’s hair, trying like mad to not pull too hard. 

They laid still for a while, silently drinking in one another. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the tribal design on his shoulder. He breathed in the smell of her skin and enjoyed the pink flush that spread across her chest. He always thought women looked best just after he’d given them an orgasm, but Kate seemed to radiate. 

They’d shifted to lie next to one another and, for the first time, he got a good look at her tattoos. A whimsical sparrow in flight was splayed in black ink across the left side of her ribs. A treble and bass clef design was nestled on her right hip. And he couldn’t forget the simple black outline of a heart on the inside of her left thigh, a sweet surprise that greeted him half an hour ago. They were feminine but bold against her skin.

She rolled on her side to face him.

“You hungry?” she asked, her face mere inches from his. 

“Yeah,” he answered, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. For the first time in a while, his mind was peaceful. There was no anger or adrenaline trying to provoke him. He was wrapped up in this woman and he tried his hardest to handle her gently, literally and figuratively.

She slipped on her panties and his T-shirt, a nice, baggy accompaniment that reached just below her ass. He watched her hips sway as she walked out of the room, down the hallway and toward the kitchen. When his boxers and jeans were back on, he swaggered out into the living room, taking notice of her apartment in detail for the first time.

She had cleaned just before he arrived, he could tell. The tan carpet still had vacuum strides around the perimeter, something he remembered his mom being especially adamant about. Her entertainment center and couch were the main occupants of the floor and she had a considerable amount of photos placed on shelves and hung on the walls. He walked slowly along each of them, taking in photographs from her past. Brendan and Tess, including his nieces, made an appearance in several, while others featured friends and what he assumed were her parents and brother. It looked like her brother was married with a kid of his own, a blonde-haired little boy.

“These your parents?” he called to her from his spot in the den. She ducked her head low enough to peek through the cutout section of wall that lent a view into the kitchen. He looked over his shoulder to gauge her reaction when a smile broke out across her face.

“Yeah,” she said. “That’s their wedding photo.”

She started in on a story from her childhood, memories that she used to keep her parents alive in her mind. Tommy’s eyes glazed over and he instantly felt envious that she could so freely speak about her parents without pain or hatred. There it was…that simmering anger that he often felt. It had taken almost no time at all to return. He felt guilty, though, for letting his past affect what might be. She’d had her own dose of loss. It wasn’t Kate’s fault his mother was gone or that his father struggled everyday to avoid the bottle. It wasn’t her fault that everyone in school knew he and Brendan got regular beat downs from their own father or that their mother was helpless against the rage. But he hoped one day she would understand that his past is always going to haunt him in one way or another. She would have to if she was going to stick around.

He snapped himself back to her story and took a seat at her small dining room table, watching her move around the kitchen barefoot. He noticed a scar on the back of her thigh, which she explained was from falling off her bike when she was 10. The story prompted her to show him another clean, straight scar on the inside of her left arm. He smirked watching her animatedly describe her brother’s habit of making her the dummy for his karate practice, which sent her flying into her dad’s work bench one time and slicing it open on a paint scraper. She went back to flipping pancakes, but he didn’t feel like letting her down by saying he shouldn’t eat any of them.

Instead, he ate a half stack with butter and syrup. Go big or go home, that’s what Manny always said. She picked at her own plate, but mostly smiled as he devoured the meal in record time. He hunched over his food like any minute someone would swipe it away from him. She chalked it up to the Marines or maybe his time in prison, a small tidbit Tess shared at the request of Brendan. She loved her friends for looking out for her, but a Marine jailed for deserting isn’t necessarily posing a threat.

“I won’t take it away…promise,” she said, smirking at him and popping another piece of pancake in her mouth.

“Sorry, I’m a pig,” he answered, trying his best to smile over a mouthful syrupy pancakes.

“Nah, I grew up with a big brother, I’ve seen worse,” she responded.

Tommy nodded and sipped his glass of milk. 

“I guess, well…I guess it’s probably a prison thing,” he said straight-faced, waiting for her reaction.

He knew this part would have to come out eventually and he wasn’t sure when the timing would ever be right to say, “hey, I did a year inside, but it’s okay because even though I fight and I’ve been known to have a temper, I think you’re real pretty.”

Kate kept her blank stare and gently placed her fork back down on her plate. She chewed her food quietly and decided that telling him she already knew was better than letting him believe a lie. She just didn’t feel right lying to Tommy.

“I know,” she said, now assuming the role of gauging reactions. “Tess told me what happened after Sparta, which I understand.”

Tommy sniffed and pushed his plate away. After another gulp of milk, he stared out the window, unsure of what to say.

“Look if you’re not cool with it, just say so. I ain’t about to force it,” he said, eyeing his truck parked next to her compact car, an odd comparison for the two of them.

“You’re not forcing anything, Tommy, and when did you hear me say it bothered me?” she asked. She didn’t care if the man was 5’10” and all muscle, she’ll say what’s on her mind.

“Look,” she continued. “You got a past. One that maybe you’re not entirely proud of, but it’s yours…you own it and you can’t change it. Maybe I don’t come off like it, but I’ve got a past just like you. I’m proud of some things and I hate the others but I can’t change that either. You went to prison for leaving a place you had every right to feel like leaving. I don’t know all the details and I don’t have to…at least not yet. But it doesn’t change any of this for me.”

Tommy watched her intently as she laid it out. She was intelligent and she didn’t take bullshit. He could see that she genuinely meant what she said and that was enough for him for right now. He reached under the table and gripped her hand that rested on her knee. She offered him a sad smile and rose to clear their plates. Kate filled the kitchen sink with dish detergent and the assortment of dishes, carefully washing the syrup and batter from them. Before she could rinse the frying pan of its soapy coating, she felt a strong forearm wrap gingerly around her waist. Tommy’s nose traced a line across the nape of her neck and she visibly shivered. 

He used a gentle strength to turn her around and face him. In one swift motion, his palms gripped the back of her thighs and she immediately hooked her ankles around his waist. They skipped any attempts at moving slow and dove right in, leaving messy, anxious kisses on each other’s lips.

With his hands firmly gripping her ass, he swaggered his way back to her bedroom and toppled back into bed, kicking the door shut with his foot as they fell.

~~~

Kate unwillingly opened her eyes, feeling hot and restrained against the sheets of her own bed. Blinking back the thick sleep that’s only brought on by rigorous sex, she realized Tommy was entangled around her, softly snoring. In the thin light from her window, she could just make out his features. Tommy was a sight all his own, but seeing him vulnerable and relaxed in sleep was probably her favorite so far.

With some serious effort, she was able to free her legs from his and reach for her phone on the bedside table. It was only 12:45 a.m. and she didn’t have to be at the hospital for her Sunday shift until 8.

After carefully resetting her alarm for 7, a missed call notification popped up on the screen. There was no contact assigned to the number, alerting her that whoever called wasn’t someone she regularly spoke with.

She blinked once more, fighting the overwhelming exhaustion, and recognized the area code of the number. Boston. Jack.

She let her hand fall to the mattress and rolled her eyes. Jack shouldn’t even have her number and she hoped he had no idea where she lived. Kate tried racking her brain for a few seconds, thinking who might have been stupid enough to give out her new phone number to the one man who sucked up five years of life and left more bruises on her body than she cared to count. After failing to think clearly at all, she decided to let it slide and give back in to sleep.

She carefully placed her phone back on the bedside table and relished in the heaviness of Tommy’s arm draped across her ribs.


	8. Semi-Normal

He trudged through the mixture of fallen leaves and fresh snow toward Kate’s apartment building, thoroughly frustrated with the day’s scheduled events. Or it could just be that he was wearing a goddamn tie, which was more uncomfortable than the high collar of his dress blues.

He knocked once on her door. When she answered, he watched her wobble unevenly on her feet, one high heel on and the other foot bare. She beamed her bright smile at him and stepped to the side. He smirked and walked in. Her navy lace-sheathed shift dress hugged her body, something he’d become quite familiar with in the last couple months. Who the hell was he kidding? He knew every inch of this woman like he knew the parts of an M4.

“I’ll just be one second,” she called from her bedroom.

“Okay,” he responded, shifting uncomfortably in his black dress pants and crisp, white button up. Her miniature Christmas tree in the corner of the den was still lit up, the red and silver bulbs casting colorful light onto the carpet. He was glad they agreed to not get each other something; he was horrible at gift-giving and he never felt right accepting gifts from others. 

He was yanking at the collar and the black silk tie when she appeared in the doorway, trying her best to stifle a laugh.

“Come here,” she said, meeting him halfway.

“It’s fine,” he conceded. “I’ll deal with it.”

“It’s just my brother and his wife,” she answered, her fingers deftly adjusting his collar. “He remembers where he came from but she’s the one who insists on dressing up for Christmas dinner. You can do without the tie.”

He stood still and silent as she gently untied the fabric, her eyes trained on his neck. He couldn’t help but think how domestic this felt, a woman helping her man with his tie. He couldn’t hide the smirk on his lips when she finally separated the two ends and looked back up at him. She caught on to his silly smile and gripped his tie once more, pulling him to her and kissing his full lips. He reciprocated and placed his warm hands on her hips, feeling content enough to just stay here all afternoon. He’d gone years eating his Christmas ham off of Styrofoam plates in a desert or mess hall. He didn’t need a fancy dinner. But against his wishes, she pulled back and walked back into her bedroom to grab her purse so they could be on their way.

They hopped into his truck and made the trek to Shadyside where Jeff, Shannon and little Marcus lived. After spending the entire morning with Brendan, Tess, Paddy and the girls, Kate agreed to Christmas dinner since she had spent Thanksgiving with the Conlon clan. She loved her brother dearly, but Shannon, a woman who grew up rich and had trouble hiding her sense of entitlement, was only tolerable in small doses. Marcus, though? Kate loved him as if he were her own.

If Tommy was nervous, he didn’t show it, much like how he didn’t show if he was in pain after a fight. The nursing nature in Kate was still struggling to get around that, especially when she’d witnessed the punches and kicks he’d taken in the Octagon. Luckily, those instances were still few and far between. She knew the deadline for Sparta was fast approaching and Tommy still hadn’t mentioned the possibility of competing again. To be honest, Tommy never really talked about fighting with Kate unless she asked.

The roads were generally clear, so they arrived at Jeff and Shannon’s house on Saint James Street right on time. Kate grabbed the expensive bottle of wine from between her feet on the floorboard and Marcus’ gifts from the space between her and Tommy. She knew the wine would set the tone with Shannon and make the next few hours run smoothly. Shannon and Kate never quite saw eye-to-eye.

Before they finished climbing the steps to the porch, the front door swung open and a little blonde-haired boy toddled past the threshold and straight into Kate’s arms.

“Hi baby!” Kate squealed, lifting him off his feet and squeezing him to her.

Tommy smiled his classic closed-mouth grin at the embrace and realized a tall, thin man was waiting in the doorway. He too looked uncomfortable in his dress clothes, but he wore a smile nonetheless. His hair matched the color of Kate’s and they shared the same nose. Judging from the array of pictures in her apartment, Jeff mirrored their father while Kate took after their mother. She turned to Tommy and smiled wide.

“Marcus…this is Auntie’s boyfriend Tommy. Can you say hi?” she cooed to the little boy who smiled immediately.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey little man, merry Christmas,” Tommy said, finding it impossible not to smile at a child. In a way, Marcus reminded him of Brendan when he was a toddler; blonde hair and a chubby-cheeked smile.

Kate set the boy on his feet once more and greeted Jeff with a hug.

“Merry Christmas,” Jeff said, hugging his little sister tight.

Tommy moved forward to shake Jeff’s hand. 

“Tommy, nice to meet you, Kate’s told me so much about you,” Jeff said, taking in the hulking figure who seemed to capture his sister in just three months’ time.

“Nice to meet you, also,” Tommy said.

They all shuffled quickly into the foyer and hung up coats while Jeff took the wine to Shannon in the kitchen. Marcus seemed completely mesmerized by the sheer size of this new guest. Tommy’s muscles were hard to miss no matter what he wore. He smirked down at him, realizing if he had to impress anyone this evening, it was the littlest man in the house.

Making their way into the kitchen, Shannon was setting out crystal glasses of water. She was a thin, blonde woman with scary white teeth and an odd tan, even though it was winter. Her deep red dress rivaled that of a 1950’s housewife and the table’s place settings were immaculate, save for a mahogany highchair that sat at the corner near her seat. Though Marcus would be three years old in March, Shannon would rather strap him into the highchair than have food fall on the floor or splatter across her dining table.

“Kate, hi!” she said, setting down the remaining glasses and gingerly hugging her sister-in-law.

“Hi, Merry Christmas,” Kate replied before stepping away to introduce Tommy.

Shannon’s reaction couldn’t be masked. There was a large man with a permanent scowl standing in her kitchen for Christmas dinner. But within an instant, a fake smile returned to her face and she shook Tommy’s hand, welcoming him as best she could.

The dinner talk was what you would expect from a movie or TV show when a family meets a significant other for the first time. “What do you do’s”, “how is this”, and “how’s that going” kept the drivel at a consistent pace. Jeff showed a passionate interest in MMA, quizzing Tommy on different moves he had heard of, which fighters he thought were good and what fights he had planned. Tommy made short mention of Sparta, saying he was thinking about it but still wasn’t sure.

“And how much do you make doing these…fights?” Shannon chimed in, effectively ceasing the flow of conversation and causing Kate to drop her fork on the fine china. Not even she asked Tommy about the money. It wasn’t her business, much less a perfect stranger’s.

“Shannon…” Jeff murmured under his breath.

Tommy shrugged off the rude nature and answered anyway.

“I do alright,” was all he said.

~~~

After everyone had finished and Jeff and Kate reminisced on a few funny Christmas stories from their childhood Christmases, Kate shooed the boys into the parlor for some TV while she and Shannon took to clearing the table. Jeff normally took on the clean-up duties, but he knew the reasoning behind Kate’s suggestion and the last time he got in the way of Kate trying to make a point, he got caught in the crossfire.

The women worked in a tense silence until finally Kate said something.

“He might not be up to your standards, Shannon, but please don’t embarrass yourself, my brother, or me by asking stupid questions,” she said, her facial expression calm and her tone evenly dull.

“I didn’t think it was out of line,” Shannon replied. “If he’s going to be with you, he has to at least support you.”

Kate let the handful of silverware clank to the bottom of the sink. 

“I support myself, Shannon. I don’t need anyone, man or otherwise, to help me,” she answered. “I’m with that man in there because I like him, I like who he is and how he treats me, not because he makes bank by knocking a few guys around.”

Shannon kept a straight face as she loaded the last two dishes into the sink. Explaining anything outside of money and appearances to her was like talking to a brick wall.

Kate finished with the silverware and started the dishwasher, leaving Shannon behind to pour a glass of the expensive wine. She joined the boys in front of the fireplace where a large flat screen was mounted above the mantle. Marcus was surrounded by a brand new toy store but all he cared to play with was a large cardboard box. 

Shannon took a seat by Jeff and the remaining gifts left under her enormous and elaborate Christmas tree were handed out. Kate slipped an envelope to Jeff filled with two tickets to a Penguins game next month, the same gift she’d given him for the last 7 years. Shannon, of course, hated any type of sporting event, so Jeff always took along his childhood friend Rob. He smiled and nodded toward his sister. 

Tommy sat idly by, wondering silently if this is what it felt like to be normal. To be in a normal relationship with a semi-normal woman; to visit both sides of family during a holiday and have no one lose their temper. It seemed like the life he had before Sparta was almost completely gone and he didn’t know if he should mourn or rejoice.

~~~

The ride back to Kate’s apartment was quiet, save for the sound of slush under the tires.

“Let’s not do that again for a long time,” Kate said, sounding exhausted as she unlocked her front door.

Tommy outwardly laughed at the notion and stepped through the door, agreeing that Shannon could be a bit overwhelming.

“I’m sorry about what she asked you,” Kate said. “I got after her about it, but with her, everything is in dollar signs.”

“It’s okay, I’ve dealt with worse people,” he said, his voice gruff as he undid another button on his shirt.

“No, it’s not…she was out of line.”

“It’s fine,” he said, kicking his shoes off by the mat. “As far as I’m concerned, she wasn’t trying to shoot me or punch me, it’s a good day.”

By the time Tommy looked up, Kate was shoeless and unzipping the back of her dress in her bedroom. The door was cracked, allowing him limited sight as she wiggled to maneuver the dress down her body. The black lace of her thong and bra popped against her skin and he felt his dick twitch. Before he could move into the room and scoop her up, her text alert went off, stopping her in her tracks. She dug through her purse, retrieving the phone and viewing the message.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered.

“Everything OK?” he asked, leaning his thick shoulder against the jamb.

“It’s Jack again,” she answered, sounding exasperated. She yanked on a pair of sweatpants and one of Tommy’s leftover hoodies. He was beginning to wonder where he had left it.

“What’d he say?”

Tommy didn’t know much about Jack, but what he did know…he didn’t like. The last time he called or texted Kate, they talked only briefly about the shit he put her through. Kate refused to go into detail and he could tell that at least part of the reason she moved back to Pittsburgh was to get away from the guy.

“We should talk. Call me,” she said, reading the words aloud. “He’ll get it eventually.”

Kate ignored the text once again and put her phone back in her purse. She was tired and cold. Being next to Tommy’s immense warmth was about the only thing she felt like doing.


	9. Fear and Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: This chapter includes a depiction of verbal and physical abuse between a man and woman, as well as two men.

Kate had hoped that by the end of February, her shifts at the hospital would slow down. Shortly after the New Year, the supervising nurse put the entire long-term care ward on mandatory over-time and it hadn’t stopped since. Kate loved her job but losing regular patients, coupled with more hours, was taking its toll on her. She had just one more round to make before she could go home and slip into a hot bath before Tommy would arrive from his weekly training session with Frank in Philly. When he wasn’t in Philly, he trained with Paddy at Colt Boyd’s. He officially entered Sparta last month and training became a whole different monster.

Kate’s round went quick and she slipped on her black coat over her scrubs, grabbing her work bag and waving goodbye to the other nurses at the station. 

The air was crisp and chilled, causing her to shove her fists into her pockets. She made a mental note to remember her gloves tomorrow. The parking garage was relatively empty for a Tuesday afternoon and the sun began to set around 5 p.m. Dusk was approaching as she walked toward the entrance.

She could see her car and another, older vehicle adjacent to her passenger side. There didn’t seem to be anything off about the car being parked right next to hers, except for the fact that there were plenty of spaces closer to the entrance. Kate kept her head down anyway and rummaged through her bag for her keys as she made the last few steps to her door.

“Hey,” a voice said from the other side of her car.

She recognized it immediately, but she looked up anyway to see Jack exiting the vehicle’s driver’s side. He swiftly moved around to the other side of her car and began to approach Kate. She had thought about what her reaction might be in this moment; if somehow she and Jack ever came face-to-face again after their break-up, she assumed that she would freeze in place. That was her normal reaction during the second year of their relationship when he started pushing her and calling her names. She’d always just…froze.

But this time, she took a strong step back, almost instinctual. She stood side-by-side with her front fender now and she didn’t dare take her eyes off of Jack. Hurt and confusion spread across his face as he watched her move away.

“What are you doing here?” was all she could muster. The temperature had begun to drop for the evening and her breath was visible between them.

“I wanted to talk,” he said, his voice rather calm considering his incessant attempts to call and text over the last few months. Kate had counted 79 attempts, to be exact.

“You kept ignoring my calls and text messages, so I figured I’d come to you,” he said, stepping closer once more. This time, though, Kate froze.

“How did you get my number?” Kate asked, her eyes becoming narrow slits.

“Your nurse friend Diana…I coaxed it out of her,” Jack said, a smug smile crossing his lips. Diana was a CNA that could let just about anyone sweet talk her into anything. Kate rolled her eyes.

“I don’t want you here…you have no right to just show up and…” she began.

“I have every right,” Jack cut her off. “You’re my girlfriend and I came after you. What’s with the cold shoulder?”

“The letter I left you made it perfectly clear that we aren’t together anymore,” Kate said, finding more of her voice. “If that didn’t do it, then all of my stuff being gone when you got home should have been the final clue.”

Kate decided that instead of talking anymore, she would simply get into her car quickly and drive straight to Brendan and Tess’. Tommy wouldn’t be home yet and Brendan could deliver a beat down if necessary, providing Jack was stupid enough to follow her. She gripped her keys and pulled them out to unlock her door. Before she could put the key into the lock, Jack closed the gap between them, causing Kate to turn 180 degrees and press her back onto the cold glass of the window. Her eyes frantically searched for anyone who may be nearby, but the garage seemed to be completely empty.

“Stop making this so fucking difficult, Kate,” Jack said, his face mere inches from hers. “I just wanted to talk. We can work this out, whatever your problem is. You don’t have to be such a bitch.”

“You pushed me. You hit me. You belittled me and made me feel worthless,” Kate responded, listing off the reasons she hated the man who was now pinning her against her own car. “I don’t have a problem. I stopped having one the day I left Boston.”

“I see you’ve still got a mouth on you,” Jack seethed, finally allowing his anger to boil over. “I gave you that life in Boston. You fucking owe me. For everything.”

“I owe you nothing. Get away from me, Jack.”

He stood still for a few seconds, the only audible noise coming from Kate breathing heavily and the sound of an engine being cut a short distance away. She shifted to move away from him, but pushing on his chest did nothing. Finally, he gripped the straps of her bag and yanked it from her shoulder, letting the weight make a dull thud on the cold concrete. Kate couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard a man yell from the far entrance. She couldn’t turn to look, though. She was frozen once more.

“Jack, I…” she began, but her words were cut off by his fist making swift and heavy contact on the space between her left temple and cheekbone. The instantaneous pain cast a white light into the left side of her vision and there was a slight ringing in her left ear. She slumped to the ground, bracing her body against the car, clutching the left side of her head.

“You motherfucker,” Tommy called from the short distance left between him and Jack. He’d pulled up at the far entrance to try and spot Kate’s car and maybe surprise her, hoping she hadn’t left already. He tried to call out when he saw the man pinning her against the vehicle, but neither of them turned. That’s when he took off running.

Before he could reach her, he watched the man’s fist crash into Kate’s face. There was no thought, no passersby or witnesses, no moving vehicles. There was just red. All he saw was red.

Jack didn’t even see him coming. Before he could step back to pull Kate up, two large hands were gripping the collar of his coat and he was swiftly kneed in the chest. Jack fell over, unable to breathe or clearly see who the attacker was. The only vision he could make out was a hulking black figure that was suddenly straddling him to the ground. 

Tommy delivered three strong blows to the sides of Jack’s face, one right after the other.  
After the third, he gripped his collar once more and hauled him onto the sidewalk that ran along the perimeter of the parking garage. He would either have to stop now or he would kill the man with his bare hands. Jack’s nose was bloody and he seemed incoherent, so Tommy quickly averted his attention to Kate. 

“Baby…baby, can you hear me?” he said, his tone softer but rushed as pure adrenaline coursed through his veins. “Kate…baby, answer me. Who the fuck is that?”

“Jack. He got out of the car next to me and tried to get me to stop and talk,” she said, holding back a sob.

“Holy fuck,” Jack murmured from the sidewalk, finally pushing himself up to sit on the curb and assess his bloody nose. His entire face throbbed and he felt a large bump forming on the back of his head.

Before he could utter anymore words, Tommy’s fists hauled him to his feet and pressed him into the concrete pillar behind them. Kate rose to her own two feet, still cradling her left cheek. She’d never seen Tommy in such a rage outside of the ring. Jack stared wide-eyed at the beast of a man holding him in place.

“What the fuck, man? Who are you?” Jack said, his voice reaching a pitch that indicated panic. “This doesn’t concern you!”

“You just sucker-punched my girl,” Tommy said in a hushed tone, no more than three inches from Jack’s beaten face. “You’re gonna to hate how much it concerns me.”

“I’m calling the fucking cops, man,” Jack responded.

“And tell them what, motherfucker? That you like to stalk and beat up women? I’ve known pricks like you my whole life…you’re not gonna do shit.”

“I saw it…I’ll vouch for you,” a middle-aged man called from the elevator banks, staring intently at Jack. “If you call the police, you’ll be the only one they take away.”

Tommy turned his head just enough to get a glimpse of the man. He seemed intimidated and weary about getting involved, but determined to see that Jack was put even further into his place. Kate didn’t move from her spot against the car, replacing her bag to her shoulder. Tommy dropped his hands from Jack’s coat and glanced back at Kate to see that she was okay. He turned his head back to Jack.

“I ever see you in my city again, I’ll kill you myself,” Tommy seethed.

He walked back over to Kate and watched as Jack clumsily tried to walk toward his car.

“You can have the cunt,” he replied, wiping blood from his upper lip.

He piled into his car and squealed out through the entrance. The man watched as the taillights disappeared around the corner. He looked at Tommy, nodding once. Tommy nodded back and turned his attention to Kate. Her entire body was shaking and he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold, the punch or both.

“Leave your car here,” he said, walking with her to his truck. “Let’s get you home.”

~~~

She turned on the hot and cold water, the rushing sound filling her small apartment bathroom. When the water mixed to create a comfortable temperature in the bathtub, she began peeling off her scrubs, careful to ease the shirt over her face. Once she was naked, she inspected her face in the mirror that was beginning to fog up from the steam. Her fingers gently prodded at the skin that had already begun to show signs of bruising. It hurt to smile. It hurt to cry. It just hurt.

She slipped into the warm water and grabbed her body wash, running the slippery solution over her skin. When she was thoroughly scrubbed, she breathed in deep and immersed herself under the water. The warmth eased her face muscles. She resurfaced and wiped her eyes, noticing the water had become milky. Her toes began fiddling with the faucet, gently lapping the water against the ceramic. Before she could begin to think about everything that happened, there was a gentle knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said quietly.

Tommy walked into the bathroom, his wide shoulders moving sideways through the door frame. He’d gotten her home and refused to leave her by herself. He shut the door and got down on his knees, positioning his body alongside the tubs outer wall. He placed his forearms on the edge, resting his chin on top. Kate couldn’t help but think how boyish he looked at that moment.

“You okay?” he asked, his eyes scanning her bruise.

“I’m gonna have a mean bruise, but I’m okay,” she answered, realizing her breasts were visible in the water. But Tommy wasn’t looking at her body. He was looking at her face. It was the first time she’d ever seen him look concerned.

“Thank you,” she began, feeling the tears creep back to her eyes. “If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t know…”

She stopped, choking back another sob. He moved slowly and placed a hand on the right side of her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. She shut her eyes and leaned into his touch, relishing in his gentleness and warmth. A few tears escaped her lids and for once, she didn’t care if someone saw her cry. They sat there silent for minutes, not caring to discuss what happened or trying to dissect why it happened. Finally, Tommy rose from his spot on the tiled floor and pulled his T-shirt over his head. Kate watched him as he dropped his pants and boxers in one motion. 

“Scoot up,” he said.

Kate obliged and moved closer to the faucet. Tommy dipped into the warm water behind her and placed a leg one either side of her own. She leaned back into his chest, feeling the small patch of hair tickle her skin between her shoulder blades. She could feel his dick, half hard, protruding into the small of her back but she didn’t mind.

His muscled, tattooed arms wrapped around her and he rested his chin on the top of her head. He forgot how good a hot bath could be for his sore limbs after a particularly grueling training session or after beating the shit out of someone who deserved it. They rested silently, their breathing falling into sync with one another.

“You know I love you, right?” Tommy said, his deep voice breaking the silence.

“I know,” Kate said, without hesitation. “I love you, too.”

And that was that. No big reveal, no serious conversation about what loving each other meant. It wasn’t forced or contrived. It was natural. It had become just as easy as breathing.


	10. Distraction

Tess refused to let it go. Kate equated her fierce persistence to a lioness. If you were to ever hurt someone Tess loved, she would maul the fuck out of you and leave the bones for the vultures. Kate admired that about her best friend and as much as she wanted to say she was the same way, Tess was on a different level.

“If he ever comes around here again, you call me,” Brendan chimed in. He assumed the same cross-armed stance Tommy had right next to him. Kate dropped her gaze and smudged at a small stain on the leg of her scrubs. It was all she could do to keep from laughing at their sudden “crime-fighting brothers” pose.

“If he just pops up unannounced, she can’t just tell him to wait while she makes a call, Bren,” Tess said, sighing deeply. “God, that asshole!”

She walked to where Kate sat at the dining room table and gripped her hand while they stared out the sliding glass door where Emily and Rosie were playing in the snow. Tess had known that Jack hurt Kate once or twice before, but something in her gut told her that Kate never let on just how often it had happened. She suddenly felt sick that her best friend, a woman that might as well be her sister, endured such treatment.

The bruise had just begun to fade now that a week had passed. If Tommy wasn’t training, he was spending as much time as he could with Kate. He knew she was afraid, but she’d be damned if she ever said it out loud. He also didn’t want to leave her alone if he didn’t have to. He rested easier knowing that she was as safe as she could possibly be in case Jack decided to reappear.

Later that night, Tommy swung by his own apartment for the first time in three days to check on things and gather up the mail that had accumulated again. Frank had pushed their normal Tuesday training routine in Philly back to Thursday so he’d spent the time with his nieces while Kate worked. She’d joined the group at Brendan and Tess’ house after her shift and Tommy just assumed he was going back home with Kate. She didn’t say a word otherwise, signaling that she assumed, too.

After grabbing fresh clothes, a few extra hand wraps and his training pair of 4 oz. gloves, he flipped the light switches off, locked the door and made the drive to Kate’s complex, a quick 10-minutes he had estimated. She was in the shower when he let himself in. They hadn’t had sex the entire week, something that neither of them pushed or tried. It was becoming more and more prominent in his mind since they’d started fucking on a regular basis, but he could hold out.

Tommy tried his best to change his mind’s thought process and plopped down onto the couch, turning on the TV. He could hear Kate shut off the water. After a few minutes she emerged from the bathroom door in her towel, steam filtering through behind her. Ever the polite Marine, he refrained from looking back at her, hoping she felt that she still had privacy while he was here.

Kate studied the angular horizon of Tommy’s muscles spread lazily across her couch. She hoped that her black eye wasn’t keeping him from touching her, but then again, she hadn’t tried; she hadn’t asked. After what Tommy saw and how he handled her this whole week, he assumed the role of protective boyfriend doing his best to respect her space and her time. He wouldn’t think of pushing her into normalcy when things had so quickly shifted to everything but normal. No matter how hard he tried, he found it hard to separate how he dealt with Kate and what he would do when Pops came home and decided to beat on his mom for a change instead. He just did what he always had before; be there when she needed him and step away when she needed space.

Kate smiled at him, his grey eyes hooded as they stared at the mindless drivel on the television. She padded across the carpet to the backside of the couch and leaned over to press her lips against Tommy’s ear.

“You have exactly 5 seconds to get me out of this towel,” she whispered, her breath hot on his skin. 

He could smell Kate’s shampoo, the heat of her skin radiated toward him. His eyes fluttered shut and before his mind could clearly map out a plan, he was hopping over the back of the couch. Kate squealed with excitement and tried to suppress a laugh. Tommy moved slowly, his fingertips trailing her collarbone before slipping into the top of her towel. He firmly yanked the damp fabric and let it fall to the floor, but it was Kate who moved first. Her lips pressed against his, the strong scent of her body wash invading his sense of smell again. His hands freely roamed her breasts, her ribs, her hips. He didn’t realize how much he’d wanted this in only a week’s time.

The small of Kate’s back was wet as the ends of her hair continued to drip. Tommy didn’t care, though. Before he could allow the kiss to get anymore heated, he dropped low to snake his rough palms around the back of her thighs, lifting her up to his waist. She hooked her arms around his thick neck, her breathing becoming more audible against the quiet hum of the TV’s sound. Tommy turned to face the back of the couch, resting Kate’s ass on the cushions. She left her legs wrapped around his hips as her palms fell to rest against his chest. He resumed their kiss, moving more urgently this time. He grasped her head between his hands, allowing her tongue access to his mouth. She kissed him harder than he expected and he dipped his hand between them, feeling how wet she’d become in just the last few minutes. Her warmth and the slick flesh against his fingers forced him to move faster; he couldn’t just kiss her anymore.

Tommy dropped to his knees where he stood, feeling his erection press further into his jeans. He pushed Kate’s legs wider and gripped her thighs, causing her to grip the cushions to brace herself. Tommy wasted no time tasting her. His tongue darted against her skin, separating her lips and caressing against her clit. Kate inhaled sharply, her eyes closing at the sensation. He could only continue his assault on her for a few minutes before she pulled him back up to her face once more, tasting herself on his lips. Kate refused to wait any longer, her fingers making short work on his belt and jeans snap. Tommy didn’t bother pulling down his pants or boxers. He yanked the elastic waistband low enough to expose his dick and shuffled forward, thrusting quickly and completely into Kate.

She let out a moan, her legs reclaiming their spot around his hips. Her nails dug deep into the microsuede of the cushions and the noise from the outside world faded away. She could feel the stubble from Tommy’s chin course roughly over her shoulder. It was soon replaced with his teeth as they sucked and nipped at the flesh there.

A clear night allowed for the moon to shine brightly through Kate’s balcony glass door and neither of them cared to close the curtains. Tommy gripped Kate’s hips firmly and began a rhythm, pulling back to relish in the look on her face as her moans grew louder. After only minutes, she could feel herself nearing orgasm. She came hard around Tommy, letting out one more moan and falling backward onto the couch. Her hips stayed in place and the angle provided Tommy with a new sensation against his dick and a perfect view of her body. He picked up pace once more, his primal instinct taking over. He loved the woman in front of him, but all he wanted was to use her body for himself in this moment.

Kate smirked and allowed her eyes to close once more, feeling Tommy fill her again and again. She could feel herself getting wetter as he thrust, the sound of flesh clapping against flesh filled the room. When she opened her eyes, she silently studied his face, shrouded in pure concentration and his scowl still present. She watched his eyes scan her body until finally he looked at her, his full lips smirking devilishly.

She bit her lower lip, smirking back and watching his muscles flex in their exertion. She could feel another familiar swell between her hips and she allowed herself to let go again. Tommy watched with amusement as her back arched and she cried out his name. It was enough to send him over his own edge, filling her with his warmth. Tommy growled and collapsed forward, resting his head onto Kate’s stomach. Their bodies heaved as they tried to regain their breath. Kate trailed her nails along Tommy’s scalp until they moved to stand up straight once more.

“Let’s not wait any longer than a week unless we have to, k?” she said, looking up into his eyes.

“Deal…but I’m not done yet,” he said, scooping her up and barreling into the bedroom.

~~~

He’d convinced her to take off her Thursday shift and come along with him to Philly. He would be training most of the day with Frank, but there was plenty of things she could find to keep herself occupied and just get away from the ‘Burgh for a day.

Tommy drove carefully and checked to make sure they were still making good time. He woke her up at 4:30 a.m., promptly gathering his duffel bag of training gear and sliding a hoodie over his tank and baggy sweatpants. He usually spent the entire drive getting into intense fight mode, but he couldn’t ignore how adorable Kate was when she was woken up before she was ready. She was as crabby as a teenager. She grabbed her make-up bag and shoved it into a day bag she’d packed with other clothes to change into. There was no way she was putting on jeans and a top with a near-5-hour drive ahead of her in the wee hours of the morning.

Not more than 10 minutes on the turnpike and Kate laid her head in Tommy’s lap as he drove. She sprawled out as much as she could and slept peacefully as the sky morphed from navy blue to dove grey and then finally, to soft yellow and orange. Tommy pulled into the gym’s lot with about 20 minutes to spare before Frank’s 11 a.m. start-time.

He woke Kate gently again and she rubbed her eyes like a child as she sat up in her seat, her hair messily piled atop her head in a bun.

“Sleep alright, babe?” he asked.

“Yeah, not too bad,” she responded, squinting to help her eyes adjust to the bright morning light. March was nearing and the snow piles were dwindling more and more each day. 

“This is Frank’s, huh?” she asked.

“Yeah, the one and only, ‘least for now,” Tommy replied. “He’s always talkin’ ‘bout maybe openin’ another gym in New York if we take Sparta.”

Kate smiled in Tommy’s direction and grabbed her day bag, hoping she could make herself a bit more presentable inside before taking off to get a coffee. The place was already buzzing with other fighters moving meticulously around weight stations and training mats. Tommy walked directly to Frank’s office, knocking and letting him know he was here. 

“Hey there he is!” Frank bellowed, a signature greeting to his friends. “Hey Kate, good to see you again, girl.”

Kate waved and smiled, deciding she didn’t care if anyone saw her in her sweats with no make-up. She wasn’t looking to impress anyone.

“Good drive?” Frank inquired.

They both nodded and Tommy dropped his bag down, ready to get started.

“Is there a bathroom I could use?” Kate asked.

“Yeah…you know what, the women’s locker room might not even be clean yet, just use my personal bathroom through my office.”

Frank pointed toward the door and Kate thanked him, walking in and locking it behind her. She quickly changed out of her sweats into a pair of comfy, dark wash skinny jeans and a simple blue, cotton T-shirt. She released her hair from its silly-looking bun and it fell in its normal waves to the middle of her back. Besides ruffling it a bit to relax the roots, she couldn’t be bothered to do much else. A few swipes of mascara and some lip balm was all she cared to do to her face, too. She quickly repacked her bag and exited the bathroom, turning off the lights as she left.

When Kate emerged from the office, she could see Tommy and Frank already on a mat, stretching for the day. She walked toward the duo, hoping she wasn’t interrupting.

“I’m going to grab a cup a’ coffee,” she said, remembering a small café down the street toward the corner.

“Yeah, take the truck,” Tommy said. “Keys are in my bag.”

“Are you good if I go shopping downtown? I wanted to get some things for the girls,” Kate asked, figuring she didn’t want to be the MMA girlfriend who sat around while her boyfriend trained all day.

“Yeah, go ‘head. Don’t be gone too long,” Tommy said, finishing a leg stretch.

Kate waved at Frank, who waved back, and winked at Tommy. His famous close-mouthed smile appeared just as quickly as it disappeared. When Kate was out of earshot, Frank landed a punch to Tommy’s bicep.

“Don’t come in here distracted, Conlon…not today,” he said, trying to his best to separate the sides of friend and trainer.

Tommy nodded and watched Kate exit the gym. It was time to get to work.

~~~

South Street buzzed with people and cars, even during the day. Kate wandered the shops, grabbed coffee and some lunch and found a few fun toys to bring back to Emily and Rosie. She knew full well that Tess would protest, claiming they already had way too many toys they didn’t even play with, but Kate didn’t care. She also picked up a detailed Captain America costume for Marcus, hoping to add to his Avengers collection.

By 4 p.m., she made the drive back to Frank’s and parked the truck. The lot was emptier than it had been when she left, but she figured most fighters who trained at Frank’s were in and out as early as possible. Tommy was the exception because he lived on the other side of the state. She assumed Tommy and Frank would still be deep in their training session anyway. Kate stored her bags on the passenger’s side floorboard and hopped out, walking toward the doors. Tommy burst through the double doors, stalking toward his truck with his bag slung across his chest. By the time he reached her, she could tell he was angry about something.

“Where the hell have you been?” he growled, sucking in sharp breaths.

“What? What do you mean? I went shopping like I told you,” Kate replied, completely taken aback by his sudden anger and venomous tone.

“I thought I said come back as soon as possible,” he replied through gritted teeth. “I spent my whole goddamn session worried about you. Fuck.”

He walked steadily to where Kate stood on the asphalt and gently grabbed the keys from her hand. He was angry, but he couldn’t live with himself if he scared her or accidentally hurt her. It took everything in him to not forcefully snatch the keys from her palm.

“Get in…we’re leaving,” he said, his voice deep and dark.

Kate hauled herself into the passenger’s side and buckled her seat belt. She was trying desperately to understand Tommy’s anger, especially since she had told him what she’d be doing with his truck. She didn’t think she had to put a time limit on things. Tommy wasn’t like Jack. He didn’t try to control her every move.

“If you were so goddamned worried, why didn’t you just call?” Kate spat once their doors were closed.

“I did, Kate! Three fucking times. And I got reamed for it from Frank each time I stopped shit just to try and get ahold of you.”

Kate immediately pulled her phone from its place in her bag and mashed at the screen, trying to bring the device back to life. It was dead. The battery must have died sometime after she got off the phone with Tess around noon. She instantly felt bad for snapping at him, not realizing that it was impossible for him to reach her.

“It’s dead,” she muttered, fiddling with the phone before shoving it back in her bag. “Look, I’m sorry. I would have come back sooner or at least answered when you called. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“No, you didn’t,” he said, his words still seething. “But I just wasted that entire session in there worried if your fuck of an ex-boyfriend got at you!”

His hand gestured toward the doors as he yelled the final string of words. He needed Kate to understand that this wasn’t some game he was playing…he was preparing to go to war all over again with men who would be hellbent on ruining him, body and soul. If he wanted to cement himself in this sport and build some semblance of a life that he never had, he couldn’t waste precious time distracted for nothing.

“Then why the fuck did you invite me then, Tommy? Huh?” Kate said, her voice even and her eyes wide, imploring his face for some kind of understanding.

“Obviously a mistake…won’t happen again,” he muttered, turning the engine over and pulling out of the parking lot.

The 5 hours it took them to reach Pittsburgh seemed to double in length. Time moves slower when there is nothing but silence between two people in a small space. They refused to talk to one another, both angry at how the other could misinterpret the issue. Tommy knew that has training continued it would only get worse. He would up his sessions with Frank to 2, then 3, then 4 days a week with Paddy and Brendan in between. He would begin to start studying the fighters joining Sparta. He would need a full eight hours each night and a rigid schedule when he was awake. It would be like he was back in the Marines.

Kate pondered how angry he could become over something that seemed so trivial. His anger came from love and his need to protect her, but she refused to allow him to scold her like a child. She knew this competition was big; bigger than the first one three years before and with more money on the line. 

Tommy finally pulled into Kate’s parking lot, staring straight ahead into the darkness. Kate glanced his way, wondering if he might say anything or offer some sort of apology. But he didn’t. Tommy was never a man of many words and he said even less when he was angry. Kate scowled and pushed open the door, grabbing her bags in one swoop. Tommy was stubborn. But so was she.


	11. A Chance for Peace

Kate walked slowly toward Brendan and Tess’ door, unsure if Tommy might be inside, visiting his brother. Instead, Paddy was over and Tess was rummaging in a kitchen drawer for her cake serving utensil she and Brendan used at their wedding. It was two weeks into March and it was also Paddy’s birthday, a solid 61 years under his belt.

“You didn’t tell me it was a birthday dinner, Tess,” Kate said, feeling intrusive.

“Hush. You’re family and Brendan planned this, anyway,” Tess said, finally retrieving the tool she had been searching for. Corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots sat near the stove, ready for serving. A traditional Irish meal for Paddy’s birthday and the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day, a silly holiday for those of true Irish decent, but a holiday nonetheless. Kate’s Sunday shift ended just a couple hours ago and she padded slowly around to the dining room, wondering if Tommy was somewhere in the house. It was a little over two weeks since she last saw him or heard from him. When she figured he might not be coming, she went back into the kitchen and decided to gauge what Tess knew.

“Tommy here?” Kate asked as nonchalantly as she could.

“Not yet,” Tess answered, turning to give her friend a concerned look. “To be honest, Bren and I were hoping you’d guys show together.”

“We’re both too stubborn, Tess, you know that,” Kate said, finally looking at her, unable to do anything but offer up a sad smile.

Tess nodded and went back to carving the corned beef.

“Oh I know…” Tess said, her words loaded with silent meaning. “You two are up in arms over something so silly.”

“It’s not that,” Kate said, staring at her feet. “It’s bigger than me just not showing up early enough. I’m distracting him and with this big competition coming up…he can’t afford to invest time with a girl with a nutbag for an ex.”

Before Kate could continue her thought, she heard four very distinct little feet pounding against the hardwood floors, rounding the corner to the kitchen.

“Auntie Kate!” they both squealed.

Paddy followed a bit slower behind them, smiling from ear-to-ear. In the months that Kate and Tommy were getting to know one another, she’d been able to pry a few stories about Paddy from Tommy’s side of things. What she knew is not something she would expect from the man she saw in front of her now. But she could see some connection; Paddy was a hard-looking man and you could just tell he was a belligerent bastard if he got to drinking.

“Hi girls!” Kate responded, dropping to their level and giving them both a big hug. She remembered the days when she could easily pick up both of them. But now, it’s like they’d grown just in the last two weeks since she’d come over to drop off their toys from Philly. That’s when she shared her and Tommy’s fight with Tess, who no doubt shared it with Brendan.

Just as she released the little humans from her grasp, the front door opened and Tommy’s wide frame stepped in. He caught Kate’s eyes as he shut the door behind him. They only stared for a second before Tommy moved to take off his boots.

“Come play with us,” Emily asked Kate, snapping her attention back to the girls. “Grandpa’s tired.”

“Yeah, Grandpa’s tired,” Rosie repeated, showing signs of the phase where she would start to echo everything her big sister was going to say.

“OK, only for a few minutes, s’almost time for dinner,” Kate said, continuing to avert her gaze as Tommy made his way into the living room. He glanced as Kate walked down the hall to Rosie’s room before taking a seat at the dining room table with Pops. Brendan emerged from one of the back rooms and sat down with his brother and father.

“I can’t tell ya how glad I am that you boys did this for me…means a lot,” Paddy said, his gravelly voice low enough for just the two of them to hear.

Brendan and Tommy nodded in his direction, acknowledging his words but unsure of what to say. Paddy didn’t need to hear anything, though. Breaking bread with his family was enough.

Tess gathered everyone at the table and they all dug in, a friendly chatter turning to how Kate’s job at the hospital was going, funny stories from Brendan’s classroom or how school was for the girls. Rosie seemed to love her pre-K class and wanted everyone to come meet her new friends at school. Kate giggled at the littlest girl, sad that they both were growing so fast.

Tommy tried a few times to catch Kate’s eyes from their diagonal positions at the table. Kate could feel the heat of his gaze almost immediately. But she refused to look up at him. She didn’t want the drama becoming more apparent than it already was.

After the dishes were cleared, Tess brought out the German chocolate cake and cut pieces for everyone but Tommy and Rosie, who was allergic to coconut. 

“You’re not eating cake, too, Unca’ Tommy?” Rosie asked, leaving her chair to walk around to where Tommy sat.

“Nope,” he said, picking her up to sit on his lap. “We too cool for cake, huh?” he whispered, making Rosie smile and nod.

Kate smirked at the interaction. After everything was said and done, Paddy thanked Tess and the brothers for a “wonderful dinner and birthday.” He doled out hugs and kisses to the girls and thanked Kate for being part of the celebration.

“I know it doesn’t really matter what I think, but I’m glad you’re with Tommy,” Paddy said, his voice low as he walked toward the door. “I can still see that happy kid he once was somewhere in there.”

Kate felt a twinge in her chest, but she smiled at Paddy as he walked out the door to his boat of a car. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t missed Tommy these last two weeks; his smell, his presence after a particularly long day, his touch, and her favorite closed-mouth grin. She found herself sidetracked more often than not, jumping at every phone call or text alert. She even conveniently neglected to tell Tess about her gazelle-like jump over the couch when there was a knock at her door. It turned out to be just a Fed-Ex delivery man dropping off her new sneakers and scrubs for work. She was in love, but damn if she wasn’t as stubborn as all get out. She wasn’t going to be the first one to call. If Tommy needed to focus, then let him focus.

Kate grabbed her coat and yanked her shoes on, calling Emily and Rosie over for hugs before she left.

“Auntie Kate’s got work in the morning, babies,” she said, meeting the girls on their level once more to hug them tight.

Tommy glanced over from his spot on the couch and hoped he would catch Kate’s eye one more time. But she waved to Tess and Brendan, turning abruptly on her heel and shutting the door behind her.

~~~

He left Brendan’s house with the intent to go home, but before he realized what he was doing, he was on Kate’s street and driving toward her apartment complex. He pulled into the lot and parked near her car, keeping his hands firmly placed on the steering wheel, his eyes staring ahead and his mind wondering what the hell he was doing. Did she even want to see him? He knew he was a fuck-up, but he didn’t want to lose her. 

Fuck it, he thought. He got out of the truck and made his way up to her second floor apartment door. He hesitated only a second before knocking on her door, hoping she wouldn’t look through the peep hole and decide not to answer. Just then, the door flung open. Kate stared back at him, only a few feet between them. He couldn’t think of anything to say so, instead, he just smiled. Kate watched the familiar way the skin around his eyes crinkled and his full flips stretched to show her favorite grin. At that moment, she gave up on trying to have self-control; on trying to hold out against him and beat his stubbornness.

She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight. His arms encircled her waist and he squeezed back, holding her smaller frame to his body. Kate breathed in his scent, welcoming the smell of his minty wash mixed with the musky smell of his heavy green coat that had probably seen him on the many travels he had so far. Tommy allowed himself to close his eyes. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed this girl until now. Before he knew it, he was kissing her and moving them back through her door, leaving a messy trail of clothes through the apartment.

~~~

“Who’s this one for?” Kate asked, trailing the pad of her finger along Tommy’s lower abdomen, causing his muscle to contract and a throaty laugh to emerge from his lips. Tommy’s hearty laughs were so few and far between, so she enjoyed the sound. But it surprised her. Tommy Conlon, MMA fighter and all-around badass, was ticklish.

“Ticklish, are we?” she teased.

Tommy shifted in his spot on the bed, releasing a leg from under the covers to regulate his body temperature.

“This is a drunken fling gone wrong,” he said, referring to the all-lowercase script across his lower right stomach that read, ‘till I die sw’. “It was my first weekend leave in the Corps…that’s all I can give ya.”

Kate smiled. She didn’t care that Tommy had a past peppered with turmoil and mistakes. He was hers and that’s all she cared to acknowledge in these late night moments as they lay naked in her bed, skin against skin.

“What about this one?” she asked again, feeling the warmth of his collarbone that was marked with a string of numbers. Tommy’s fell serious.

“It’s the Corps ID number for one ‘a me and Manny’s buddies, John…he died about a year before Manny did,” Tommy said evenly. “Me and Manny both got ‘em.”

Kate was quiet, remembering again that there would always be an immense divide between the shit she’d been through and the shit Tommy had been through. He’d lost best friends, brothers for all intent and purposes, in some of the most horrendous ways. The memories and the experience and the loss would forever haunt him in some way. She immediately felt guilty for bringing it up. But for once, Tommy dropped the wall and told her of the time Manny, John and he paid top dollar for a small barrel of terrible beer at camp in Afghanistan two weeks into their first deployment. They’d had to split the entire thing between just the three of them to feel a buzz, making the rest of their unit search frantically around the rest of camp for undercover sources to get more booze. Kate smiled at the fond memory. She was glad Tommy still kept those with him.

They laid silently for what seemed like hours before Tommy spoke up, finally mentioning their stupid fight a few weeks back.

“I know I’m not too good with words,” he began. “And I let my temper get the better of me more often than not…but I was stupid and I’m sorry. I thought if I stepped back, tried to refocus, I’d be better.”

“Tommy, I…” Kate tried to interject, but she was cut off by his hand gripping hers.

“Lemme finish,” he said. “I was more distracted these last two weeks than I’ve ever been. When I’m fightin’, everything goes quiet. It’s the only time things make sense. Before, the ring was my only chance for peace in my head. Then you came along and you’ve been my only chance for peace outside ‘a that ring.”

Kate moved slowly to get closer to him, pressing the front of her body into Tommy’s side, once again soaking in his unnatural warmth. 

“So what you’re saying is…you can’t get enough of me?” Kate said, immediately making the moment light.

Tommy let out another short, but hearty, laugh again. He was better now than he was hours ago and that was enough. They’d find a natural balance…they always did.


	12. Visitors

Kate’s nails drummed on her steering wheel, the presence of three other people in her car weighing heavily in the air. The early June afternoon had blazed in, creating a steamy atmosphere that caused much of Pittsburgh to crank on their air conditioners much earlier than planned. Kate was thankful for the trusted chill that her Neon provided with just the turn of a knob.

“You guys too cold back there?” she asked, eyeing the two occupants in the back seat.

They shook their heads ‘no,’ smiling from ear-to-ear after reluctantly tearing their gazes from their new surroundings.

“Flight okay?” she asked to the third person sitting shotgun.

“Oh yeah, it was a breeze,” Pilar answered. “You didn’t have to get first-class tickets.”

“Oh gosh, no…I couldn’t let you fly coach,” Kate said, smirking at her as they continued to drive steadily toward Tess and Brendan’s place. She was okay spending a large portion of her savings for this trip; it was going to mean much more to Tommy than any amount of money stashed away.

Spring had come and gone, it seemed. The trees were regaining their bright green foliage and lawns were perking up after the steady April showers. The heat, while unexpected this early in summer, was something Tommy welcomed. More sweat meant better workouts and training sessions. And those were just about all he’d done in the last few months. Sparta was a month away; he couldn’t afford to slow down.

Kate had quickly found ways to help. Tommy trained mostly while she worked, her shifts falling back from 12 hours to 10 or 8, depending on the day. Three evenings a week, Kate cooked a meal that helped replace a lot of nutrients Tommy had lost during his session, which had climbed to four a week with Frank and two with Paddy and Brendan at Colt Boyd’s. While they ate, she helped Tommy study the fifteen other men that would be pitted against him in the cage. She watched how they moved, what they did if their opponent pulled a knee bar after coming out of an opponent’s guard or which hand seemed to be their dominant for choke holds and punches. While she admittedly didn’t know how to perform these moves, she knew what they looked like and she’d become well-versed in the sport. Tommy seemed appreciative of her help and her willingness to find a place in his world.

Kate pulled into the driveway, putting her car in park and unlocking the doors.

“Here we are,” she said, smiling brightly at the guests.

It was by accident that Kate had found out that today was Tommy’s 31st birthday. When he’d randomly called one day after an overnight visit a few months ago, asking if she had seen his wallet, Kate found it in her room and just had to see one thing; if even brooding, handsome, tough Tommy had an awful driver’s license photo like the rest of the world. Of course, he looked like typical Tommy; only in this picture he had a high and tight. But then she saw his birthday, June 8. After she exhaled a sigh of relief that it hadn’t already passed, even if he never planned on telling her, she began thinking of what she could do. What could she get him? That’s when a conversation they’d had around Christmas popped into her mind; Pilar and her children, Manny’s family. He talked fondly of them and said he felt responsible for them in a way. Kate could tell that he felt a pang of guilt that he hadn’t seen them since just before he went to prison. He’d mentioned that a trip had been planned for them to be there when he got out, a little ‘welcome home’ get-together, but the timing didn’t work out and they’d kept putting it off ever since.

Just as they exited the car, Brendan and Tess emerged from the front door, welcoming smiles on their face. This was the first time Brendan would get to meet the little family his brother had fought so hard for; the family he had insisted receive part of his prize money.

“Pilar, it’s so good to finally meet you,” Brendan said, hugging her instantly as they met in the middle of the hot driveway. “I’m glad you could all come.”

“Thank you so much for having us,” Pilar said, staring up at the man who’d helped his brother follow through on his promise. “We appreciate you letting us stay with you.”

“We wouldn’t want you to stay anywhere else,” Tess chimed in, sliding in to hug Pilar, who hugged her back warmly.

“Vienen aquí los niños,” Pilar said quickly, asking her son and daughter to come forward. Manny, Jr., and little Maria walked forward, shaking both Tess and Brendan’s hands politely. “This is Manny and Maria…kids, this is Brendan and Tess, Uncle Tommy’s family.”

Kate watched the greeting with a smile, glad that she could give this to not just Tommy, but Brendan, too. 

The group walked into the cool air of the house where Manny and Maria’s eyes immediately locked onto the playground in the backyard that Emily and Rosie were enjoying. They looked up to Pilar, silently begging to go outside and play.

“Go, go,” she said, watching them both take off toward the sliding glass door and run back out into the sunshine. 

The kitchen was filled with plenty of food, all the makings for the first cookout of the summer season. Kate and Pilar took seats in the living room, knowing it would still be a few hours before Kate would have to leave to pick up Tommy. Brendan and Tess grabbed four beers and joined them. Casual conversation took over; Tess and Pilar found familiar stories to share about their children while Brendan and Kate laughed along. Pilar was short and thin, but fiercely funny and she exuded strength. Her entire face lit up when she talked about her kids and at the occasional mention of Manny.

“Brendan, Tess…I wanted to thank you again for the gift you sent,” Pilar said, her voice choking. “You didn’t have to do what you did, but just know that I so appreciate it and that Manny would have appreciated it, too.”

Brendan gave her a sad smile, looking at his hands. He was unsure what to say.

“You don’t have to thank us,” Brendan said. “I’d do it all over again if I could. It’s what Tommy would have done if the outcome was reversed.”

Pilar smiled, her face sweet and small. It was hard to believe she was only 27. They resumed their cheerful banter once more, giving Kate and Tess the opportunity to have good old-fashioned girl talk with Pilar. She had so many questions about how Kate met Tommy, if he was being the good guy she knew he could be. Kate discovered a whole new side of Tommy, who he was when he was a younger Marine and what he was like with buddies around. Pilar had nothing but good stuff to share about the visits Tommy would make back to El Paso, Texas, with Manny on leave. He’d become a part of the family. Any hesitation Kate had about Pilar faded in the time they’d spent talking.

~~~

“Happy birthday!” Kate squealed as Tommy approached her in his complex’s parking lot.

A full-on smile broke out across his face, his uneven teeth making a rare appearance; it was nice to have someone care about your birthday for a change. Training had been especially grueling today after trying to perfect his guillotine choke on a big fighter from New York that Frank brought in. He got home just in time to welcome a hot shower and change into his comfortable blue jeans and a black T-shirt. Kate couldn’t help but notice how it hugged his biceps, the fabric stretched to its limit.

He finally reached where she stood and gripped her into a tight hug. She smelled sweet and her green cotton sundress swayed in the breeze as the sun began its decent in the sky.

“You ready for your surprise?” she asked, looking up at him with a sly smile on her lips.

“Probably not…I hate surprises,” he said dryly. 

Kate scoffed and shrugged off his one-of-a-kind sense of humor. She knew he’d be excited for this surprise; all she had to do was get him there.

They piled into Kate’s car, something of a challenge for Tommy’s taller, wider frame. He was used to his truck, hence why he usually drove. But she had insisted. The entire drive was almost silent, save for a few terrible songs playing low in the background. The air cooled enough outside that Kate rolled down the two front windows, letting the wind whip her hair around her shoulders. He could easily smell her perfume as they drove; he could feel the tangible excitement she was radiating for whatever she had planned. He found it hard not to stare and smirk at her, thankful for this woman but weary of her capabilities.

Tommy was also thankful Frank had asked to come to the ‘Burgh for the week and train him here, saving on gas. Pops’ house had turned into a thing of the past; training regimens, specific diets and not just Pop’s orders but Frank’s, too.

Now that he thought about it, as they entered Brendan and Tess’ neighborhood, Frank was probably waiting with everyone else to celebrate his birthday. Tommy was never known for being nervous about anything really, but surprises that happened to include his family had never gone well in the past. In the two, almost three, short years since things began to slowly turn around, Tommy still found himself hesitant and unsure. The feeling felt familiar. He knew he should be happy that it was fading, but part of him still held onto it; losing it meant losing that familiarity. If everyone else gave up the chip on their shoulder, Tommy was still holding onto his, just in case shit went south again. He figured it would save him the trouble of having to build a new chip when it did.

He was snapped from his reverie of the possible horrors that could await him at his big brother’s house when Kate pulled into the driveway and parked. She quickly got out of the car, the slight wrinkles of her sundress visible. He climbed out of the passenger’s side and shoved his thick, large hands into his pockets. He could feel everyone’s eyes watching him from the windows, a distant memory from when he returned home from prison. His eyes were trained to the pavement when he heard the screen door open and sets of feet beginning their approach.

“Uncle Tommy!” Maria yelled, running just behind her big brother.

He looked up, immediately recognizing the little voice. He felt them crash into his legs and hug them tight. Kate watched the free, happy smile return to his lips and she side-stepped into the grass, letting them have the moment.

“Hi Tommy,” Pilar said, her voice sweet and calm.

Tommy’s smile grew impossibly wider and he scooped Pilar up into a big bear hug, nearly lifting her small body off the ground. 

“¡Dios mío, Tommy! You are nothing but muscle!” she laughed, barely able to wrap her arms around him.

Tommy finally released his grip, lifting Maria in his arms and patting Manny’s back firmly.

“I ca-…I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, almost incredulously. “How did you…?”

Pilar looked directly to Kate, who stood silently in the grass. She offered Tommy a small smile, refusing to feel pride. She simply did what she knew needed to be done. Tommy needed to see his best friend’s family just as much as they needed to see him.

“Happy birthday, Uncle Tommy,” Manny, Jr. said, staring up at him the same way he had when he was just a toddler.

“Thanks, Little Man,” Tommy replied, ruffling the boy’s thick black hair.

The children let go of his legs, allowing him the opportunity to walk into the house. Pilar rallied them together, insisting they go right in and wash their hands before dinner. Tommy smiled and fell into step with Kate, walking slowly toward the front door. He could see smoke from Brendan’s grill billowing from the backyard deck.

“Surprise,” Kate said, trying to gauge his reaction.

He smiled her favorite closed-mouth grin and pulled her close, kissing her temple as his nose breathed in the scent of her hair. He didn’t know what to say.

~~~

Brendan cooked chicken and beef kababs to perfection. As Tommy suspected, Frank was already in the back helping Brendan man the grill and Paddy had shown not long after. He’d wrapped Tommy’s gold medals from the basement, saying he thought Tommy should have them now. There wasn’t any hugs or “I love you’s”, just nods of appreciation. They could manage that much.

For the first time, the meal was relaxed and happy. There was no tension or awkward silence. Pilar seemed at ease with the rest of Tommy’s family and Emily and Rosie had found two new friends in Maria and Manny. The smell of fresh cut grass came in with the breeze as the sun set during their meal. Pilar insisted on helping clean up, but Tess and Kate wouldn’t allow it. Instead, she sat with Tommy on the deck, catching up on what had gone on the last few years, how things had turned around.

Paddy didn’t try to overstay his welcome, so instead he went home not long after dinner. Frank and Brendan did their best to give Pilar and Tommy their privacy, sending the four kids out to the yard to play in the twilight glow just before it would get dark. Once the dishes were neatly stored in the dishwasher, Tess and Kate decided to organize a game of hide ‘n’ seek in the yard. This was about as normal as things could get; pieces of broken families coming together to make the best of the cards they’d been dealt.

“Alright Manny, you start,” Kate said, tapping the rough bark of the tree where he was to stand and count. “I’d say counting to 30 should do it.”

The boy agreed with a big smile on his face and shielded his eyes from the yard as he began his counting. Kate jogged through the grass, picking up Maria as she went and quickly finding a hiding spot behind the large orange ball tree near the far side of the fence. Tess gathered Rosie and tucked her beneath the stairs by the deck while Emily climbed into the fort on the playset, becoming flush against the wood paneling. Manny finished his count to 30 and yelled, “ready or not, here I cooooome.”

Pilar watched on with amusement. She was thankful to Tommy’s family for being so welcoming. She gripped his hand as they watched Manny roam the yard.

“I hope you’ve had a good birthday, Tommy,” she said quietly.

“Better than most,” he replied, smiling toward her. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you to get here.”

“No, no, not at all,” Pilar said, looking out to where Manny stumbled upon Kate and Maria behind the tree. “You’ve got a great girl there, Tommy. She took care of everything…made it possible for us to come out.”

Tommy smirked as Manny came across Tess and Rosie.

“She paid for the tickets and set it up so we could stay with your brother while we’re here,” Pilar continued. “I’ve never known someone to be so kind just by default.”

Tommy let the information sink in. He quickly turned the attention to Pilar, making sure she wasn’t just saying things were solid for his sake.

“Pilar, you’re sure things are good? You can tell me if you need something…anything,” he said, his words trailing off.

“You worry so much,” she answered, gripping his forearm as best she could given it was swollen with muscle. “What your brother did…it changed things around. We were able to get a bigger place, I finally fixed the van and there’s plenty of savings set aside…just like Manny always talked about.”

Tommy smiled again, watching his thumb peel back the label on his beer bottle. He remembered working on that used van with Manny on leave just before their last deployment. The days in El Paso were arguably much hotter than Pittsburgh, but then again, nothing could compare to the dry, angry heat of the desert.

“We’re doing good, Tommy,” she said. “Real good.”


	13. On The Mat

Kate slipped off her sandals at the door. Though Tommy had another training session tomorrow morning with Frank, it was the beginning of her weekend and she was ready for another opportunity to sleep in.

She realized in that moment that she could count the amount of sleepovers they had at Tommy’s apartment on one hand, while those that took place at her apartment were numerous. Tommy had left his air conditioner running, leaving the rooms chilled. She could feel goosebumps trail across her skin but the sweat from earlier in the day left her feeling sticky. Tommy moved with a happy ease around the kitchen, grabbing a few beers from his fridge. Kate tossed a wide-eyed look his way.

“Are these allowed?” she asked, popping the top off her fourth one of the evening.

Tommy smirked mischievously before pressing the cold glass to his lips and taking a long drag. It was his birthday and if he wanted his eighth beer, he was going to have it. Frank would surely punish him tomorrow anyway for the amount of chicken kebab he had. Evan Paddy had a hard time not telling him to cool it on the food, but Tommy was still a time-bomb to him, so he decided against it.

They’d left Brendan and Tess’ after the kids had been put to bed. Pilar agreed to a late lunch before they caught their flight back to El Paso tomorrow evening. Manny Jr. had joined Little League in April and couldn’t miss the team’s next semi-final game.

Tommy turned on the TV, letting his DVD player start up another round of recordings for one of the fighters headed to Sparta. Kate watched intently, enthralled with the speed of the man against his oblivious opponent.

“I haven’t seen this guy yet, have I?” she asked, taking a seat on the couch and sipping her beer.

“No, Frank got this for me yesterday,” Tommy answered. “They call him ‘The Mauler.’”

Kate raised her eyebrows at the intimidating name. In the world of MMA, nicknames were either earned due to reputation or selected due to ego. For example, “Mad Dog” Grimes was selected. The man got his ass beat in the last Sparta and he could still be found around Pittsburgh or in Colt’s wearing his ego like a pair of 5 oz. gloves. Kate had only seen him once when he “made an appearance” at one of the fights on the circuit last fall.

“He looks good…better than some of the others we’ve watched,” Kate said slowly, her eyes still glued to the way the man moved. She suddenly realized that Tommy might actually walk into this tournament and come back out seriously injured. Until now, Tommy seemed unbeatable, untouchable. The announcers on the DVD even used his nickname; Mason “The Mauler” Wade out of South Africa, 6'2” and 182 pounds. 

“That’s another move I been tryin’,” Tommy said, using a finger that was wrapped around his bottle to point at the screen as his eyes narrowed.

“That doesn’t look too hard,” she said absentmindedly.

Tommy paused mid-gulp and waited to see if she was kidding. Kate had a terrible habit at times of being sarcastic to the point of bewilderment to those around her. When she turned to look at him with a straight face, he smiled and shook his head. Kate took notice of how smiley he could be when he had a few in him.

“What’s it called?” she asked, feeling the slosh of the beer in her head as she turned to face the TV once more.

“It’s a submission move…called the Can Opener,” he answered, polishing off the bottle in his hand. He had lost a lot of his tolerance to alcohol since starting training. He was positively drunk but he was always proud of his ability to hide it. He swaggered into the kitchen and set his bottle on the counter. As soon as his hands were free, he pulled his T-shirt over his head, ruffling his dark brown hair further.

Kate’s gaze was still glued to the TV; she didn’t notice Tommy behind her, shirtless and unfolding one of his training mats that stood against the far wall of the dining area where a table and chairs would sit. He centered the mat on the carpet and peeled his socks off, casting them onto the carpet.

“C’mere,” he muttered, motioning with his fingers on one hand.

Kate turned to see what he meant, noticing he had cleared the space and put down a mat. His muscles seemed more defined in the warm light from the ceiling fan overhead. She could never quite keep her eyes from tracing the bold lines of his tattoos. His face was blank, but Kate could see in his glossy eyes that he was wasted. She smirked and decided to see what he had planned. When she stood directly in front of him, he began to give stern, militant instruction.

“Lay flat on your back,” he said swiftly. Tommy morphed from regular guy to MMA fighter in two seconds flat. 

Kate did as she was told and laid dead center on the cooled plastic of the mat’s outer covering. She wasn’t scared, or even intimidated; she knew Tommy wouldn’t hurt her. She was aroused. She had been trailing around the edge of the mixed martial arts world for months and within seconds, she took a hard turn right into the cage, so to speak.

Tommy dropped to his knees near her feet, grabbing her ankles and gently forcing her legs open. His hands travelled up her calves to hook behind her knees. With a sudden jerk, he yanked Kate closer to him on the mat, the plastic sticking to her exposed skin. The movement pushed her knee-length dress up around her hips, exposing the white cotton of her thong. She looked up at him, still straight-faced and curious.

“Wrap your legs around my torso,” he said. “Lock your ankles…this is a guard.”

Kate nodded, acknowledging what he was teaching her. She squeezed her thigh muscles as tight as she could, hoping that she at least came off somewhat strong. Tommy smirked at her and lowered the top half of his body to hover over her. 

“A’right, I’m gonna put my hands behind your neck,” he continued, his eyes burning into hers. “Do your best to keep your legs locked around me.”

Tommy moved slowly and gingerly, slipping his calloused palms behind Kate’s neck and then lifting her head upward and into her chest. The pressure on her body instantly released her legs from their hold on his torso. He laid her back down gently on the mat and smirked triumphantly.

Kate gently shoved his chest and smiled, ready to try another time.

“Do it again,” she said confidently.

She replaced her grip around his waist and held him impossibly tight, straining the muscles in her thighs to the point of pain. Tommy moved a little quicker this time, but with the same gentleness she knew was only reserved for her. Once again, her lock was broken from his upper body and she huffed in frustration. She knew this effort was futile, but she wanted to keep trying. The TV continued to play clips of Mason Wade, giving the movements of Tommy and Kate on the mat a more fight-like feel, complete with canned audience cheers and announcer commentary.

“Try another one,” she said, eager to get him at least once, even if it was still his birthday.

Tommy shook his head again, snickering at his girlfriend’s instant competitive nature. He decided to try out Americana, switching positions on the mat. Kate sat up and allowed him the space to lay flat. He could feel the effect of the beer on his brain, making his movements less coordinated.

“A’right, straddle me,” he slurred, his silver chain around his neck catching the light.

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled, immediately understanding why he decided on this particular move. But she, once again, did as she was told. When she was finally in place, she pulled her dress above her head, tossing it to the side against the wall. She watched Tommy’s eyes widen a fraction. He tried to look anywhere else, but his eyes were drawn to her simple black bra and the assets they were supporting.

“I’m gonna put my elbows up and you’re gonna pin my right arm to the mat,” he said.

Kate nodded and slowly snaked her left hand through the space between his raised elbows. 

“Now grab my wrist and press it against the mat,” Tommy instructed.

Kate followed through, pinning Tommy’s wrist and waiting for more instruction. 

“Now link your right arm under my forearm,” Tommy said, waiting for the impending pressure. “But keep my wrist flat.”

Kate finished the figure four armlock and listened as Tommy told her to pull the lock toward her.

“Ah a’right, okay,” he said, feeling the tightness in both his shoulder and wrist.

Kate backed away instantly, fearful she had hurt him.

“Sorry, does it hurt that bad?”

“Switch,” was all he said. Kate resumed the same position she had before and Tommy quickly performed the move, allowing Kate to feel some of the pressure that it applied on an opponent. Her mouth dropped open but she couldn’t make a sound. She tried to wiggle out of his hold, his lips forming a drunken smile.

“Tap out, babe,” he said inches away from her face. “C’mon, tap.”

With her free hand, she tapped his tattooed shoulder. He released her from his hold and gripped her thighs, pulling her legs around his hips again. When they were secure around him, he then grabbed her wrists, tossing them around his neck. When Kate was securely attached, Tommy moved to sit on his heels, lifting Kate along with him. She stared directly into his eyes, wondering what he might do next. His palms moved smoothly along her spine, reaching the fabric of her bra straps and gently pulling them down. Kate slid her arms free and Tommy’s fingers deftly undid the hooks. He forcefully yanked the bra from between their bodies and tossed it toward the forming pile where his shirt, socks and Kate’s dress lay discarded and crumpled.

He leaned forward again, resting Kate’s back on the cool plastic of the mat. She released her grip from his body and studied the way his arms moved as they worked to pull off her panties; the way the veins bulged just below his skin as he undid the button of his jeans. She watched as he stood quickly, removing his pants and boxers completely and shutting off the dining room light. The space quickly dimmed, the only light coming from the single floor lamp in the corner of the den across the room. Naked Tommy in semi-darkness was a sight to behold. He returned to his spot between Kate’s legs and hovered over her once more.

Immediately his lips attacked hers, the cold silver chain around his neck dangling against her skin and pooling in the hollow space at the center of her collarbone. Kate lifted her head a few inches up to meet Tommy’s hungry kisses. His rough hands groped whatever part of her body he could get to first, eventually kneading the smooth skin of her breasts. Her breath hitched when she felt his dick rest at her opening. Tommy eagerly pressed further, filling her completely and eliciting a moan from her throat. After only a few thrusts, she sat up and twisted around, her palms pushing against his chest. He lazily laid flat with his arms outstretched, immediately grasping her hips again. Slipping a hand between them, Kate guided his dick back into her, slowly melting as she lowered her body down to meet his. Her mouth roamed his chest, eager to taste the slight saltiness of his skin. The thrusts quickened and created a hard, even rhythm. 

Finally, Kate rose to sit straight on top of Tommy, changing the angle. The feeling of him hitting her sweet spot caused her head to drop back, another series of moans filling the quiet space. Tommy’s eyes stayed trained on the vision of their skin meeting repeatedly, his absentminded grunts further pushing Kate toward her orgasm. In the last moments before she could finish, Tommy sat up again and wrapped his lips around one of her nipples, sucking and nibbling at the flesh. Kate couldn’t contain coherency any longer and she let go with everything she had, her muscles contracting around him.

“Fucking hell,” she breathed against the skin of his shoulder, her nails cementing into the muscles below his shoulder blades.

His hands moved her hips in the same motion until finally he came deep inside her. Kate reveled in his habitual growl against her neck, his fingertips digging deep into her skin, most likely leaving bruises in their wake. They both collapsed back onto the mat, a feeling of satisfying exhaustion overcoming them. Kate pulled herself from Tommy and made her way into the bathroom, pulling back the plain white curtain and turning on the water. She could feel the warmth of his body press into her back and they climbed into the shower together, washing away the stickiness of the heat and their sex down the drain.

~~~

She felt him stir next to her in bed, his internal clock alerting him it was time to wake. They had climbed into bed last night completely spent, sleeping naked under the cool black sheets of Tommy’s king-sized bed.

When she opened her eyes, she watched him walk out of the bedroom, naked in all his glory as the grey light of morning filled his bare-walled bedroom. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, so when he returned, he slipped on a pair of boxer briefs, sweatpants and a sleeveless T-shirt. His duffel bag of gear sat packed near the mat they had defiled seven hours earlier and luckily, the effects of his hangover were dull. His grabbed three water bottles from his fridge and shoved them in the bag before slipping on his socks and sneakers. After slinging the strap of his bag across his chest, he walked silently into the bedroom one more time, leaning onto the mattress. He placed three quick kisses along her hairline before pressing his lips against her ear.

“I’ll be back before lunch to pick you up, baby,” he whispered, his breath smelling of harsh mint toothpaste. “I love you.”

Kate’s eyes stayed shut, refusing to acknowledge the morning. But a satisfied, warm smile spread across her face.


	14. Going to War

Frank tried to not laugh at the way Paddy traveled. He looked like the quintessential old flier; his ever-present newsboy cap, an old, unused briefcase full of crossword puzzles and magazines and a support pillow already around his neck. When he approached Tommy and Frank near the check-in counter, Tommy’s eyes widened incredulously.

“All set to go, Pop?” Tommy asked, somewhat sarcastically.

“I think so, it’s been so long since I fle-,” Paddy stopped short, realizing the smartass smirks on Frank and Tommy’s faces. “Alright boys, laugh it up. You’ll be just like me one day…give it a decade’r two.”

“Yeaaah,” Tommy said, shaking his head.

Their non-stop flight to Las Vegas was scheduled to take off at 7:15 a.m., putting them in town just in time for all the press Tommy was planning to blow off. He’d already told Frank that if he tried making him walk the carpet, sit through a press conference or pose for some program bullshit, Frank would be watching the tournament from the general admission seats. He still had no interest in the recognition and accolades that would be hurled at him this weekend. He was simply here to fight and walk away with the means to lead a better life and to follow through on his promise to his best friend’s wife, even if she was doing good. 

When J.J. Riley announced Sparta months ago, he also announced the change in location from Atlantic City on the East Coast to Las Vegas, nestled in the heart of the desert. Riley explained that by having the event every three years, the turnover would produce the possibility for newer talent; relative no-names looking to lay out some of the biggest middleweights in the sport and thus claiming a spot in the UFC world. The three-year advantage also allowed for Riley and the Tapout crew to reel in big name sponsors and build the anticipation. Fans and fighters alike were chomping at the bit, especially since this year’s purse was doubled…$10 million.

The flight went by smoothly and they landed in considerably drier, hotter weather. The Joint, a music and special event venue attached to the Hard Rock Hotel, was buzzing with security and staff who were setting up the seating and the Octagon. Naturally, all the fighters and their training crews were being housed at the Hard Rock in the Casino Tower’s suites; some of Vegas’ finest accommodations for men looking to beat the shit out of each other. Tommy settled into the single queen bed of the suite, letting Frank and Paddy deal with the awkwardness of the adjoining double queen bedroom across the lounge. Kate, Tess and Brendan would arrive tomorrow morning on a later flight and the first four fights would start tomorrow night.

“I’m going to find the gym, see if we can’t get in a session before tomorrow,” Frank said, grabbing a key and letting the room’s thick, heavy door click behind him. Paddy stared around the room, unsure of what to do in such stylized settings. In a way, Tommy had taken on more traits of his father in the last few years, like his sense for simplicity and the inability to feel completely comfortable in any place other than old Fitzy’s or at home. They moved quietly into the lounge and sat on the extravagant couches.

“Here again, kid,” Paddy said, smirking sideways at his son.

Tommy nodded in his direction, knowing he would have not gotten back in this tournament had it not been in part for his old man. They meandered around the lounge while the TV filled the silence, the news and sports coverage already occupying most of the time slots on ESPN and national news organizations. Tommy effectively tuned it all out, the reporters failing to find other angles, any other angle, besides his return to the tournament and the same details that had monopolized the last Sparta. Frank returned from the gym, immediately grabbing the remote and muting the news anchor.

“Well, they don’t have much in the way of mats, but we can get some strength and floor training in before dinner,” he said, engaging Tommy’s attention.

Tommy nodded, and disappeared into his designated room to change into a pair of sweatpants cut just below the knee and another sleeveless T-shirt. He politely declined when Frank asked him to wear the Tapout gear gifted to them by Sparta organizers a few weeks ago. Frank knew it was a long shot, but he still wore the clothing out of respect to J.J. When he emerged, the three men made their way to the gym, immediately getting Tommy stretched and loose for some sparring.

As the session wore on, Tommy started to notice the difference in styles and the increasingly difficult task of having two trainers trying to control the regimen. Frank’s smooth, shiny coaching was almost commercial; it made Tommy faster and more focused. But Paddy’s style, blue-collar and bare bones, gave Tommy the grittiness and pure rage necessary to attack and overwhelm his opponent from start to finish. While most fighters would welcome this best-of-both-worlds approach, Tommy felt tugged and annoyed throughout the entire session. He was used to doing things his own way and when he needed a little extra, he took it from one man and that was it. After the first hour-and-a-half, he cut it, refusing to keep going. It was the night before the first fights of Sparta and he needed the moments of calm before the storm.

~~~

A quick inventory of the strip produced plenty of dinner choices, but none of which Tommy could really divulge in. There was an official weigh-in and drug screening tomorrow morning and he didn’t want to risk being a pound over middleweight status.

Instead, he had room service send up his go-to pre-fight meal…boneless, skinless baked chicken and steamed broccoli. He ate quickly and messily, not leaving a single crumb on the large, white plate. Frank went out with a few of his old fighters who were in town to catch the tournament and Paddy was lounging lazily in his bedroom, listening to a new book on tape and watching the news coverage simultaneously. Tommy escaped back into his bedroom, going against his better judgment and texting Kate, though it was much later in Pittsburgh. He couldn’t seem to shake his restlessness.

Tommy: all packed up?

Kate: I think so. Should I bring anything specific?

Tommy: maybe a bathing suit. little late night swimming.

Kate: lol…the pool’s probably closed at night

Tommy: stop ruining a mans dream, woman

Kate: OK, bathing suit packed. Anything else before i head to bed?

Tommy: nah youre good. just get here already. everybodys driving me fucking nuts.

Kate: On my way. see you tmrw ;) 

Tommy let his phone drop face down on the duvet. His fingers pinched the bridge of his straight, angular nose, trying to relieve the tension headache that was coming on. The skyline of Las Vegas was visible from where he laid on the bed, a thousand tiny sparkling windows on tall, extravagant buildings. Casino signs and advertisements blinked in intricate light patterns, serving as beacons to gamblers, sinners and tourists alike. The floor they were on was high enough to escape the noise that flooded the streets down below, giving the city a beautiful tranquility that Tommy didn’t expect. Before long, the dull drone of the television and the city lights lulled his eyes closed.

~~~

Tommy sat hunched on the edge of the queen bed of Kate’s room, not quite a suite and definitely not paid for by the organizers of Sparta. She moved lazily around the room, gathering things from her suitcase to get ready for the first night of fights that would begin in six hours.

“…weigh-in go?” he heard, only catching the last few words of her question as he was snapped back from his thoughts.

“Weigh-in? Yeah, it was good…it went good,” he answered, watching her emerge from the bathroom, her thousand-watt smile beaming at him.

It was at that moment that he felt it; the calm before the storm that he’d been waiting for, it was here. He saw it in Kate. Her presence balanced the noise in his head and he could finally let the anticipation subside and the focus set in. She walked swiftly past him to where her suitcase sat open, selecting her hairbrush and bobby pins before turning to walk back toward the bathroom. Before she could pass him, a strong hand shot out, grazing the top of her leg and curling itself around the inside of her thigh. A smirk played at her lips and she glanced down playfully at Tommy, estimating what he might do. In a solitary moment, his hands gripped her hips, the familiar warmth and strength noticeable beneath her jeans on her skin. Tommy rested his forehead against her stomach, his eyes fluttering shut and breathing in her comforting scent. He finally just wrapped his arms around her, gripping her body to him and pressing his stubbled cheek flat against her abs. Kate smiled warmly at the top of his head, his hair disheveled and damp against his scalp. Her palms rested at the nape of his neck, his trapezius muscles strained from the firm embrace.

Tommy sucked in a deep breath and released it, keeping his grasp on Kate. She knew these moments with Tommy were meant to be private. They weren’t for anyone but her and she knew they didn’t always come natural to him, but he did them anyway because he wanted her to know how much he loved her, even if he couldn’t always get the words right. She took to her usual habit of snaking her fingernails along his scalp, feeling his entire body physically relax, if only momentarily.

There was a curt knock at the door, signaling to Tommy that Brendan was collecting him for a quick session of combination run-throughs before the first fight. Tommy reluctantly dropped his arms from Kate’s waist and stood up.

“I probably won’t see you before…” he murmured, inches from her lips. “You, Tess, Brendan and Pops got reserved seats down in front.”

Kate nodded, trying her best to hide her nervousness. Tommy gingerly took her head in his hands, planting a solid, full-lipped kiss on her forehead.

“Good luck,” she said as he smiled her favorite smile and walked out the door.

~~~

Kate’s leg bounced at a high speed as Tess calmly curled loose waves into the ends of her long, chestnut hair. The fight was still an hour and a half away, but she couldn’t hide her anxiety, not from Tess. She had protested at first, claiming she was content enough to go down to The Joint in her flip flops, jeans and a loose-fitting, off-the-shoulder cream top.

“And you can…you’re not a ringside girl, anyway,” Tess said, unraveling the curling wand’s cord and plugging it in. “But just…humor me? Let me do your hair.”

Kate sighed and plopped down into the oversized, leather desk chair nearest the window, letting Tess’ fingers work their magic, just like they always had in high school. The truth was that Tess didn’t think Kate needed to have her hair done at all, but she knew that having someone gently handle her locks helped Kate relax. She worked slowly, leaving Kate in silence to contend with her thoughts and worries.

“He’ll be okay,” Tess whispered, locking eyes with Kate in the mirror. “Tommy’s a born fighter and he’s done this before.”

“I know,” Kate answered, nodding her head.

After a few quick sprays to hold her curl, there was still 45 minutes left. She couldn’t wait any longer and dressed in her intended clothes. Brendan met the two women at Kate’s door, giving his friend a comforting hug. Paddy joined them at the elevators, handing out the VIP lanyards to hang around their necks that would get them seated immediately. Though the fights were still 45 minutes off, the venue was buzzing with activity. Lines formed at the in-house entrance and disappeared beyond the doors. They took a separate entrance that led directly into the floor where thousands of seats were laid out. Some VIP spectators were already seated in the sections adjacent to theirs. The cage was set up and brightly lit, making the surrounding floor space dim in comparison. When they reached their seats, Kate could finally get a decent look at the place.

A balcony sat directly across from their section with stadium like seating starting from the announcer’s table and back. To the left and right of the balcony were strips of VIP tables that would probably also double as standing room only. Just below the level of the balcony sat a line of VIP suites, most likely for sponsors and big-name fighters. Banners lined every inch of the second level. If someone were to walk into the venue tonight by accident, they’d leave knowing that they were at Sparta.

The minutes ticked by quickly as the place began to fill up with camera crews, spectators and sports news teams. One by one, the lights of the suites lit up and the balcony appeared to be filled to capacity. The roar of the crowds began to increase and Kate’s heart pumped faster. The rules were the same; 16 middleweight fighters, single-elimination…only one man would claim the top spot. Kate released a long breath, her cheeks puffing out. Tess gripped her knee, giving her a sympathetic smile, as if to say, “I know where your head is at…I’ve been there…I’m right here with you.” Kate smiled weakly and turned her eyes back to the cage.

Just then the lights dimmed and spotlights roamed the sea of heads, boisterous cheers filling the venue.

It was time to fight.


	15. Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Alright, so I have some 'splainin' to do...
> 
> If you haven't read my comments, I have been apologizing profusely for the lapse in new chapters. But I have good reasons! The reason I was so quick to update and turn around chapters before April was because I was actually unemployed. I didn't talk about it and I won't go into detail, but I had a lot of free time and job applications don't take that long. But as of April 1st, I started an amazing new job that requires me to work 10-hour days during the afternoon and evenings. While that's great, it took away from my writing time drastically. I also spent the last month organizing and moving my entire life 300 miles away from my home I'd known for 6 years. My life, until about now, has been in constant transition.
> 
> But thankfully! I am back. And I think I've figured out my prime time for writing. 
> 
> So here is an extra long chapter for you. Thank you so much for reading, checking back and hopefully you'll keep doing so. Because I cannot tell you enough how grateful I am for your support and kind words!
> 
> Enjoy!

A flat screen mounted to the concrete wall of Tommy’s dressing room was muted as the images of the first two fighters entering the cage splashed across the screen. Jonathan Bolland, a last-minute entry from Detroit, skipped his round across the mat just as David O’Donnelly, of Belfast, Ireland, a UFC regular and crowd favorite, walked the aisle toward the official waiting at the stairs. O’Donnelly climbed the steps into the ring and they were off. 

Frank refused to let Tommy focus on anything other than his opponent; Lawrence Kane, straight out of New York City. The man was scary big, which was saying something when someone stood next to Tommy. Frank noted the differences between Brendan’s pre-fight preparation and Tommy’s; for one, Tommy didn’t really move. He sat quietly, thought about why he was here and what he was supposed to do, and then he sat quietly some more.

Frank gathered the few items he would take with him ringside. In the mirror, he could see the replay of O’Donnelly’s KO on Bolland, effectively eliminating him and advancing. At that moment, a skinny kid, no older than 18, popped his head into the room, his bright yellow security shirt giving him away.

“Showtime,” he muttered, nodding at Frank.

Tommy sniffed once and stood from his chair, yanking his black hood over his wet hair.

“Ready?” Frank asked, holding the door open. Tommy nodded as he walked out, ready to fuck this Kane guy up. He realized that he felt calm, unchallenged. In Tommy’s mind, he was the only one battling for that money; the others…they were just in the way.

Security immediately flanked the two men, walking with them toward the roar of the venue. Kane entered the ring first, causing them to wait at the entrance before trudging through the sea of outstretched arms and fists, all vying for a chance to directly cheer on the original Sparta’s runner-up.

Kate couldn’t get a clear vision of Tommy until he reached the official. He swiftly removed his hoodie, subsequently ruffling his hair forward in the process. The crowd stood, but she stayed seated. She was afraid to move, afraid that the slightest thing might change the outcome of the fight. When the hell did she become so superstitious? He swaggered into the Octagon and took his corner, pouncing from foot to foot. His entire body heaved with each breath, his eyes locked onto his target. Kane’s dark brown skin was sleek with sweat, but he stood still…he didn’t seem to move an inch.

Kate watched as the two men approached the referee in the middle of the cage. Tommy stared fearlessly into his eyes, almost as if he saw exactly how he was going to break the man in front of him. The ref ran through his list of rules in the ring and the fighters tapped gloves quickly before turning back to their corners. Kate could feel her heart climb into her throat as the ref yelled, “Let’s go to war.”

Tommy inched out quickly from his corner, sizing up Kane as they “danced.” Without hesitation or warning, Tommy lunged forward and connected his fist to Kane’s right cheekbone. Kate felt her fists ball involuntarily, suddenly picking up on the heightened amount of adrenaline coursing through her body.

In classic Tommy style, his fists flew furiously into Kane’s body repeatedly. Frank yelled from the side, coaching Tommy on his next move and finding Kane’s weak spots. Kate anticipated the moment that Tommy would be hit, but before it could come, another ref seated near the announcer’s table sounded the horn and ended the first round.

Tommy stalked and sat down on the stool like a petulant child being sent to time out, obviously angry that he couldn’t take down the massive man that was Kane in the first round. Frank moved swiftly to block his eyes from staring holes into Kane’s head and began talking, drawing his attention to what needed to be done. Brendan immediately recognized the coaching stance Frank took as he juggled water and a towel. Tommy zeroed in on his words, listening intently. When the wooden blocks signaled that the second round was fast approaching, Frank muttered a few last words before removing the stool and his supplies. Before the bell, he glanced over to where Paddy, Brendan, Tess and Kate were seated, nodding once as Tommy charged Kane again.

This time, he was more reserved. He stepped back and controlled his movements, allowing Kane to swing at him. For the first time since the fight started, Kane landed a solid fist to the side of Tommy’s head. He snapped his head back to face him and felt a resurgence of the animalistic anger that usually dominated over his skilled, controlled fighting. Tommy took another two punches and a knee to his ribs before growing tired of the wait for Kane to make a mistake. A quick foot sweep toppled the giant down to the mat, flat on his back. Tommy pulled the classic ground and pound, eventually knocking Kane out. The ref pressed a rough hand into Tommy’s chest, pushing him back onto his haunches, calling the fight. When the bell rang, Kate flew up from her seat, smiling from ear-to-ear and clapping until her palms hurt. Other women, presumably other fighters’ girlfriends, screamed loudly but Kate couldn’t seem to find her voice. This fight was so much more than just the money and status in the MMA world.

The referee declared Kane officially eliminated and moved to the center of the ring where Tommy was still pacing, his blood pumping and his breath ragged. Before he even knew what was happening, the ref grabbed his wrist and thrust it in the air, causing the venue to erupt in cheers. Tommy’s head hung low but his eyes found Kate’s in the front row. His face didn’t show any emotion, just a quiet calm in the gray of his eyes that let Kate know this is the only other place where he found peace…the cage and with her.

Tommy barreled through the Octagon’s entrance and left Frank to scramble behind him. Paddy and Brendan followed not far behind, walking through the crowds as a 20-minute intermission was called before the next fight. Kate took her seat once again, feeling the impatience bubble up.

“He won!” Tess said, her sing-song tone coaxing a smile out of Kate. “If you want to go back, you can…”

Kate shook her head.

“No…I don’t want to distract him, he’s got enough back there,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. Her right knee started its familiar bounce, the slap of her flip flop against the hard floor. Tess nodded in response and they watched the bodies move freely, conversations passing them by about who would win…about Tommy. It felt foreign to hear guys talk about his technique and strength and to hear girls cream their sequined club mini-dresses over his muscles and tattoos. Kate smirked, listening to the babbling behind her.

“You want to get a beer? I’m going to get a beer,” Tess said cheerily, obviously feeling uncomfortable hearing the sexual comments about her brother-in-law.

Kate nodded and rose with her, walking off the jelly-like feeling in her legs toward the bar. 

~~~

Frank tended to Tommy’s forming bruise around his left eye. Lined against the wall, Brendan and Paddy spoke low and swiftly, trying to pump his mind full of new reminders and new techniques. Other men had already been eliminated from the tournament and within the next 20 minutes, he would know who his next victim would be. He could feel the anxiousness creep through his bones, his muscles, his mind. He didn’t want to wait, he wanted to get this night over with.

After his current thought passed, he realized Pops and Brendan were still babbling about what he should do, like he asked for the advice. This was all getting to be more than he asked for. He wanted to come in and do his business and leave. He didn’t want it to be a mentor-Tommy event. He continued to sit still while Frank quickly skimmed his body, checking for cuts, bruises and any other injuries that could hurt his chances of competing. He let Paddy and Brendan continue their pep talks, letting his mind wander idly toward Kate. He silently wished she would come back, knowing her presence would keep the noise away until it was time for his next fight. But he also knew Kate. She wouldn’t dare intrude and distract him, something his family didn’t seem to understand, no matter how good their intentions.

Time seemed to move at a glacial speed. To stretch out his hamstrings and keep his legs warmed, he laid flat on the floor on the farthest wall from the door, his legs butterflied out. Paddy and Brendan had already gone back to their section for the next fight, watching Rick Mallory, out of Seattle, and Alexander ‘The Great’ Herrman, from Nuremburg, Germany, battle for the next spot. After four grueling, graphic rounds of Herrman wiping the mat with Mallory’s body, he was declared winner and the same skinny teenager popped his head back into the room, telling Frank and Tommy it was time again.

Tommy nodded and sniffed once more when Frank asked if he was ready. They made the same trek to the Octagon and dodged the hundreds of outstretched arms who were becoming more rabid by the minute. There was something animalistic about creatures gathering to watch two of their own beat each other to bloody pulps. Tommy removed his hoodie and barreled up the stairs to the mat, bouncing from foot to foot in his corner as O’Donnelly entered the cage.

Kate felt the familiar tense in her muscles as she waited for the first punch. The roar from the crowd seemed to become louder and her eyes followed Tommy’s back around the mat. She knew he was holding back, “going easy” on the Irishman with a big ego. But as soon as his fist connected with O’Donnelly’s left cheek, she felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs. Tommy seemed to throw out his controlled, focused fighting and went directly for the angry, chaotic movements instead. Her eyes darted to Frank, who was yelling commands that Tommy needed to slow down, step back, allow him the chance to make a mistake. Brendan and Tess called out support for him from beside her and Paddy stood stock still, wringing his hands.

Tommy continued his assault until the end of the round, taking his seat on the stool and heaving each and every breath from his chest. He looked like he wanted to rip Frank’s head off for reeling him in. But he sat silent, still heaving, eyes locked on O’Donnelly who seemed barely coherent.

When the second round began, O’Donnelly staggered out and Tommy thrust a knee to his ribs before taking him down and locking him into a Kimura. O’Donnelly’s faced strained and scrunched. Tommy visibly tightened his grip and O’Donnelly cried out in pain, causing Kate to shoot to her feet in anticipation. The roar of the venue was deafening and in the blink of an eye, O’Donnelly frantically tapped his hand on Tommy’s back, forfeiting the pain and the tournament. The referee had to once again force Tommy off of his opponent, but he subsequently fell back and scrambled to his feet, pacing back and forth across the mat. His entire frame swelled with each breath and he stared down O’Donnelly, who was crumpled in a heap on the mat. He wanted to rip him apart, he wanted to completely obliterate him.

Kate clapped, still unable to cheer or make any sort of celebratory call from her seat. Tommy’s hand was raised high above his head, declaring him the winner of the match and within seconds he dropped it and stormed through the gate and down the aisle toward the rooms. The first night was over and he wanted to escape, to be alone, to manage the chaotic noise in his head by himself.

~~~

When Kate, Tess, Paddy and Brendan arrived at the door of Tommy’s dressing room, he was nowhere to be found. Frank shrugged his shoulders and jerked a thumb toward the back entrance that opened to the employee parking lot of the venue. Brendan cradled Tess into his side and furrowed his brow before smiling down at her. 

“Let’s go give the girls a call,” he murmured, waving to the bewildered group and walking side-by-side with his wife.

Tess winked sympathetically at Kate, who offered up a small smile. She gave Frank a congratulatory kiss on the cheek and patted Paddy’s shoulder before following in the trail of her two best friends. She knew going after Tommy would be useless. He wasn’t going to listen to her or anyone, no matter what problem he was wrestling with. She wouldn’t deny, even for a second, that him being out and alone made her anxious, though.

So she retreated into her hotel room, slipping off her jeans and shirt, opting for a black pair of skin-tight yoga pants and a racer-back tank top that reached the middle of her thighs. She ordered room service and turned on the TV, trying desperately to remind herself that he needed space, he needed to walk off the adrenaline and the high from the fights. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. After two hours of wretched pacing and unwelcomed fidgeting, there was a gentle knock at her door. She immediately flew to her feet and ran, swinging it open. She knew in the back of her mind the knock wasn’t from Tommy, but she ran to the door nonetheless.

“Hi Katie,” Paddy said, his gravelly voice echoing in the hallway. He twisted his newsboy cap in his knotted, wrinkled hands and stared anywhere but at her, afraid to offend her in any way. She was so taken aback by his nervousness and politeness that she couldn’t even process that he had called her Katie, just like her father had when she was little.

“Paddy,” she answered. “Is everything OK? Have you heard from Tommy?”

He shook his head ‘no’ and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Come on in,” she said, stepping to the side of the door.

He walked in, limping slightly. Kate guessed it was either his knees or his hips that were going bad on him, but she didn’t question it. He stood against the closest wall, away from the bed. Kate walked toward the large gaping window of the room and sat down on the extended sill, waiting for him to speak.

“Tommy’s been through…a lot,” Paddy began, staring holes into the tops of his shoes. “My only guess for why he took off is ‘cause he’s not used to the attention…all the fuss around him.”

Kate nodded, understanding how different Tommy’s life had become over the last three years. From the late night talks they shared about their childhoods, it was easy to see why Tommy and his mother took off. It was also easy to see that she and Tommy might as well have been raised on different planets.

“I’d go lookin’ for ‘im, but my knees ain’t what they used to be,” Paddy mumbled, the guilt dripping from his words. 

Kate could see how desperately he wanted to be close to his sons again, but she knew Tommy was a bit harder to break that Brendan was. Brendan was a father, he wasn’t just thinking about himself. Whether she wanted to admit it or not about the man she had fallen in love with, Tommy was selfish and selfless all at once.

“I’ll try to find him,” she said, a reassuring smile creeping across her face. 

Paddy nodded and smiled back at her, turning toward the door. Kate waved as he glanced over his shoulder and left her back in the silence of her hotel room. After gazing out at the twinkling lights of the Strip for a few minutes more, she slipped on her flip flops and one of Tommy’s hoodies that she had packed. She scooped up her phone, hotel key and her wallet, shoving them into the deep pockets of the baggy, black fabric.

By the time she reached the street, she suddenly felt very small. The sidewalks were crowded with spectators, gamblers, partiers and tourists. She didn’t feel a part of either group. She felt like she was set on the task of searching for a needle in a fucking haystack.

And then, as if some higher power heard her thoughts and took pity of her, she spotted Tommy no more than 30 yards away, swaggering lazily along the sidewalk toward her. She stood still, waiting to see if he would come to her. When his eyes locked on her, he stopped in his tracks, blinking for a few seconds before turning swiftly on his heels and walking toward the lobby doors at the far end of the hotel’s entrance.

Kate’s brows knit together, confused and unsure of why he would turn away from her. She suddenly felt pissed off and stalked after him before she lost track of where he was in the sea of people. She worked up to a dash and finally reached him in the lobby, gripping his strong, muscled forearm near the corner where people were scarce but ficus trees were popular.

“Tommy, stop,” she breathed, exhaling the air from her lungs and staring quizzically at him. He looked everywhere but at her, and she started to wonder if this was a trend with the Conlon men. “Where have you been?”

“Out,” he snapped, quick and low.

“OK…” she replied, trying to gauge what was wrong. “Well I’ve been worried about you…we all have.”

“Yeah, that’s the fucking problem, isn’t it?” he snapped again, his raspy voice hushed. He continued to look around, always on alert.

“What’s the problem, Tommy? What? Because this runaway business doesn’t work…” she snapped back, feeling offended by not only his tone but by his words and their meaning.

“I don’t need anybody worryin’ about me, alright? I love you, Kate, but all this…” his hand moved quickly through the air, signaling their surroundings. “…I don’t need it. I can’t have everybody talkin’ in my ear and tellin’ me how much they care and how proud they are…shit’s not true. Ain’t nobody cared about me the last time I did this…I don’t need it now.”

Kate felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She couldn’t even feel offended by his words anymore. She felt sorry for him…and angry. Sorry that he truly believed no one gave a damn about him, but angry that he so obviously knew otherwise and chose to believe the latter. She had no idea the tournament would affect him this much and she felt partly responsible for his feeling this way. But before she could apologize, her anger returned. She tried to speak as low and as calm as possible, though the shake in her voice diminished her resolve.

“Look, I know you’re not good with all of this,” she began. “You didn’t get the same shit other people did growing up and you’ve lost a lot on top of it. But in the last few years, or fuck, maybe just this last year alone…you’ve gained a lot.”

Tommy stared at her, his eyes burning and his hands balled into fists in his jeans pockets. Kate recognized the look because it was the same one he gave his opponents in the cage. But she didn’t back down…she knew he would never hurt her.

“You’ve got a group of people here who love you and who are in your fucking corner for a change,” she spat. “So when you can open your goddamn eyes and see that…and accept it, come see me Conlon.”

Before she could break down any further, she turned toward the elevator banks and stalked off as the tears blurred her vision. She allowed herself a quick look in his direction, but Tommy was already gone, back out into the familiar anonymity of the city.

~~~

Kate lay silently in her bed, curled around a body pillow and facing the large window of her room. With all of the lights off, the city gleamed and twinkled once more. It had been hours since she had seen Tommy and finally understood why he was struggling.

She couldn’t close her eyes, though. She was afraid of waking up and hearing that Tommy disappeared completely. If she stayed awake, he might still come back.

Like clockwork, the door to her room clicked open and she heard footsteps step inside. She didn’t turn to see who it was. She already knew. 

The sound of fumbling boots, rumpled jeans and the zipper of a hoodie filled the room and within seconds the familiar weight of his body crawled across the bed and wrapped around her. The warmth instantly overtook her and before she could fight it, before she could turn and question him, her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
